Lynas corporation is building a rare earth plant somewhere near Kuantan, the capital city of Pahang. However, many residents there have protested against the plant due to pollution concerns.
It isn't the first rare earth plant here (ignore the comments, the one thing people on the internet here are good at is being an idiot), but the last one caused all kinds of health issues in the local population and the people here have been bitter about it ever since.
I know that rare earths (am I right?) are important in computer manufacturing, but I'd like more of an explanation about their uses and effects on human health.
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Rare Earth
Started By Krieger22, Jul 19 2011 11:10
3 replies to this topic
#1
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Semi-Pro
Posted 19 July 2011 - 11:10
Sareen said:
NOOO NO NO NO NO NO NOOOO ...*closes ears* lalalala that never happened!
#2
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- Member Test
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Forum Pet
Posted 19 July 2011 - 11:45
Rare earth? Is that like lightly roasted earth?
Jokes aside. I'd like to hear this too.
Jokes aside. I'd like to hear this too.
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As long as the dark foundation of our nature, grim in its all-encompassing egoism, mad in its drive to make that egoism into reality, to devour everything and to define everything by itself, as long as that foundation is visible, as long as this truly original sin exists within us, we have no business here and there is no logical answer to our existence.
Imagine a group of people who are all blind, deaf and slightly demented and suddenly someone in the crowd asks, "What are we to do?"... The only possible answer is, "Look for a cure". Until you are cured, there is nothing you can do.
And since you don't believe you are sick, there can be no cure.
- Vladimir Solovyov
Imagine a group of people who are all blind, deaf and slightly demented and suddenly someone in the crowd asks, "What are we to do?"... The only possible answer is, "Look for a cure". Until you are cured, there is nothing you can do.
And since you don't believe you are sick, there can be no cure.
- Vladimir Solovyov
#3
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Forum Keymist
Posted 19 July 2011 - 13:53
Rare earths are the lanthanides, scandium and yttrium i.e. chemical elements 21, 39 and 58-71. These elements are relatively rare, hence the name. They are also used in a wide variety of purposes (europium in lighting, neodymium in those ultra-strong magnets). They fill no biological role that I am aware of and as some of them are moderately toxic. I suspect the main environmental an health issue is the fact that lanthanides commonly occur with actinides which are radioactive and that the refining of lanthanide ores uses industrial processes that are not very clean (usually involving sulphuric acid).
TN
The brave hide behind technology. The stupid hide from it. The clever have technology, and hide it.
—The Book of Cataclysm
The brave hide behind technology. The stupid hide from it. The clever have technology, and hide it.
—The Book of Cataclysm
#4
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Ecchi Toaster
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Projects: Spam
Posted 19 July 2011 - 14:42
The refining process on less controlled countries often just dump untreated/not sufficiently treated waste straight to the closest water body. Rare earth being rare are not dumped, just the waste from the process.
Awesome radio
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19:44 - Chyros: I'm very harmless
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