Urban impact of rare earth elements | Science

The rapid growth of high-tech sectors, such as new energy production and storage as well as electronic information, has fueled a global demand for rare earth elements (REEs), the essential raw materials for these and other sectors (1). Statistical data indicates that the global production of rare earth minerals, including mining, smelting and application, increased from 124,000 metric tons in 2015 to 390,000 metric tons in 2024, a staggering 214% increase over the past decade (2). Additionally, large-scale mining, smelting, and industrial use of REEs have accelerated their biogeochemical cycling, leading to substantial enrichment of the atmosphere, water, soil, and organisms. In this context of expansion of mining, processing and consumption of REEs, the enrichment of these elements in urban environments and their potential impacts on health require urgent attention.