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Technology-Critical Elements
Summary
This review pulls together what scientists currently know about "technology-critical elements"—rare metals used in smartphones, electric cars, and other tech—that are increasingly ending up in rivers and oceans as pollution. These metals can combine with microplastics in water and may build up in fish and other wildlife, but researchers still don't fully understand how harmful they are to ecosystems or to people who eat seafood. The takeaway: as our tech use grows, we need better tracking and rules for these metals to protect water systems—and ultimately ourselves—before problems become clearer.
This book provides a comprehensive synthesis of technology-critical elements (TCEs) as emerging metallic pollutants in aquatic environments. It examines rare earth elements, rubidium, and platinum-group metals, detailing their technological importance, extraction pathways, environmental release, and behavior in freshwater and marine systems. Emphasis is placed on speciation, bioavailability, bioaccumulation, and ecological toxicity, as well as interactions with microplastics and climate change. By integrating geochemical, ecotoxicological, and sustainability perspectives, the book highlights critical knowledge gaps, supports risk assessment, and underscores the urgent need for responsible resource management, improved regulation, long-term monitoring, and protection of aquatic ecosystems and human health.