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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

Does mining rare-earth elements pose significant environmental risk?

By Allegra Taylor
YES

Environmental Protection Agency research highlights the environmental risks of mining rare-earth elements, including leached contaminants that harm plants, animals and humans.

China, one of the world's largest producers of rare-earth elements, estimates that refining one ton of rare earth elements results in 75 cubic meters of acidic wastewater and one ton of radioactive waste residue. Longnan Rare Earths Bureau director Xu Cheng told a Yale University publication it could take "50 to 100 years" for rare-earth mining environments to fully recover.

Rare-earth elements are used to make computers, wind turbines, electric vehicles and other products. Magnets, needed for many electronics products, account for 21% of consumption.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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