1st Edition

Rare Earth Elements in Human and Environmental Health At the Crossroads Between Toxicity and Safety

By Giovanni Pagano Copyright 2016
    292 Pages 10 Color & 28 B/W Illustrations
    by Jenny Stanford Publishing

    292 Pages 10 Color & 28 B/W Illustrations
    by Jenny Stanford Publishing

    This book presents the multifaceted aspects of rare earth elements (REEs), focusing on both their potential benefits and adverse health effects. The adverse impacts of REEs on human and environmental health raise a growing concern not only in the scientific community but also among a number of stakeholders, potentially including students, media workers, and decision makers. The recognized and potential benefits arising from REE-related technological applications may envisage their further advantages.

    A limited number of books have been devoted so far to REEs, and they mainly focus on REE-related chemistry, mineralogy, economy, and developing technologies for these elements. This book presents recent research achievements in REE-associated health effects, which have been mostly confined to journal reports on individual laboratory studies so far. It is an updated and balanced approach to REE research and technology. It provides novel yet established information as stated in the title "At the Crossroads between Toxicity and Safety," with particular emphasis on the hormesis phenomenon.

    Trends in Occupational Toxicology of Rare Earth Elements

    Industrial Use of REEs

    Evaluation of Workers’ Health for REE-Related Hazards

    Recent Trends in Occupational Toxicology of REEs

    Additional Efforts to Promote REE Occupational Health

    Conclusions and Prospects

    Rare Earth Elements, Oxidative Stress, and Disease

    Introduction

    Redox Chemistry of REEs

    Oxidative Stress and Diseases: Roles of REEs

    Conclusion

    Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles–Associated Oxidant and Antioxidant Effects and Mechanisms

    Introduction

    Physicochemical Properties and Catalytic Activities of Nanoceria Are Dictated by Their Synthesis Methods

    Biological Effects of Nanoceria: Antioxidative, Oxidative, and Modulation of Oxygen Level

    Catalytic Activity of Nanoceria in Biological Tissues

    Molecular Mechanisms of Nanoceria in Biological Systems

    Conclusion

    Acknowledgments

    Rare Earth Elements and Plants

    Introduction

    REEs in Mosses and Lichens

    REEs and Ferns

    REEs in Seed Plants

    Mechanisms of REE Effects

    Critical Remarks and Research Perspectives

    Rare Earth Elements and Microorganisms

    Introduction

    REEs and Microorganisms

    Conclusion

    Rare Earth Element Toxicity to Marine and Freshwater Algae

    Introduction

    REE-Associated Toxicity Database in Algae

    REE Uptake and Bioaccumulation in Algae

    Critical Remarks and Research Prospects

    Exposure to Rare Earth Elements in Animals: A Systematic Review of Biological Effects in Mammals, Fish, and Invertebrates

    Rare Earth Elements: An Overview

    Methods

    Results

    Discussion

    Conclusion and Future Directions

    Hazard Assessment and the Evaluation of Rare Earth Element Dose–Response Relationships

    Risk-Based Standards and Dose–Response Assessment

    Features of the Hormetic Response

    REE Dose–Response

    Implications for REE Assessments

    Rare Earth Elements as Phosphate Binders: From Kidneys to Lakes

    Introduction

    The P-REE Relationship

    Conclusion

    Rare Earth Elements: Modulation of Calcium-Driven Processes in Epithelium and Stroma

    Introduction

    Growth Control in Epithelium and Stroma: Role(s) of Calcium

    REE: Modulation of Epithelial Cell Biology

    REE and Stromal Cell Biology

    Summary and Conclusion

    Rare Earth Elements Equilibria in Aqueous Media

    Hints to Chemical Speciation

    Equilibrium Analysis at a Glance

    Aspects of Cerium Oxides Nanoparticles Speciation in Biological Systems

    Conclusion: Identifying Main Research Priorities

    Biography

    Giovanni Pagano has 40 years’ experience in environmental research, including projects supported by grants from the European Commission and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He has been a senior scientist at the Italian National Cancer Institute in Naples, Italy, and a contractor scientist at the University of Naples Federico II, Italy. He is a visiting professor in various universities of France, Greece, and Croatia. Prof. Pagano has published 105 journal articles and 22 book chapters, with 1900 ResearchGate citations.

    "Rare earth elements are involved in a number of essential technological applications. Their effects raise a number of challenges in environmental sciences and in human health. The present book provides an extensive and balanced survey of the manifold—adverse and favorable—effects associated with rare earth elements."

    —Prof. Dr. José L. Domingo, Rovira i Virgili University, Spain

    "The present book is a valuable tool to gain insight into the complex and sometimes surprising health effects of rare earth elements. Especially interesting—due to my field of research—are the chapters addressed to the study of the changes in redox endpoints in a number of organisms and cell systems. This carefully edited book, with a multidisciplinary view of rare earth elements, is really an important scientific contribution."

    —Prof. Dr. Federico V. Pallardó, University of Valencia, Spain

    "I congratulate the authors for this timely production of an extensive overview of an important topic in environmental and medical sciences: the risks and challenges that may be connected with increasing use and distribution of rare earth elements. It is essential to increase our knowledge about the environmental fate and biological effects of these technologically so important metals in order to prevent unforeseen long-term consequences of our doing. This book will surely become an important resource for scientists, engineers, and decision makers who understand the need of a sensible exploitation of this resource."

    —Prof. Dr. Susanne Heise, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany