Occupational, environmental, and toxicological health risks of mining metals for lithium-ion batteries: a narrative review of the Pubmed database

Connor W Brown; Charlotte E Goldfine; Lao-Tzu Allan-Blitz; Timothy B Erickson

doi:10.1186/s12995-024-00433-6

Occupational, environmental, and toxicological health risks of mining metals for lithium-ion batteries: a narrative review of the Pubmed database

J Occup Med Toxicol. 2024 Aug 27;19(1):35. doi: 10.1186/s12995-024-00433-6.

Authors

Connor W Brown^{1

2}, Charlotte E Goldfine^{3

4}, Lao-Tzu Allan-Blitz⁵, Timothy B Erickson^{3

4

6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. brown.connor.w@gmail.com.
² Division of Medical Toxicology, Mass General Brigham, Boston, MA, USA. brown.connor.w@gmail.com.
³ Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
⁴ Division of Medical Toxicology, Mass General Brigham, Boston, MA, USA.
⁵ Division of Global Health Equity, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
⁶ Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
⁷ Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Boston, MA, USA.

Abstract

Background: The global market for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is growing exponentially, resulting in an increase in mining activities for the metals needed for manufacturing LIBs. Cobalt, lithium, manganese, and nickel are four of the metals most used in the construction of LIBs, and each has known toxicological risks associated with exposure. Mining for these metals poses potential human health risks via occupational and environmental exposures; however, there is a paucity of data surrounding the risks of increasing mining activity. The objective of this review was to characterize these risks.

Methods: We conducted a review of the literature via a systematic search of the PubMed database on the health effects of mining for cobalt, lithium, manganese, and nickel. We included articles that (1) reported original research, (2) reported outcomes directly related to human health, (3) assessed exposure to mining for cobalt, lithium, manganese, or nickel, and (4) had an available English translation. We excluded all other articles. Our search identified 183 relevant articles.

Results: Toxicological hazards were reported in 110 studies. Exposure to cobalt and nickel mining were most associated with respiratory toxicity, while exposure to manganese mining was most associated with neurologic toxicity. Notably, no articles were identified that assessed lithium toxicity associated with mining exposure. Traumatic hazards were reported in six studies. Three articles reported infectious disease hazards, while six studies reported effects on mental health. Several studies reported increased health risks in children compared to adults.

Conclusions: The results of this review suggest that occupational and environmental exposure to mining metals used in LIBs presents significant risks to human health that result in both acute and chronic toxicities. Further research is needed to better characterize these risks, particularly regarding lithium mining.

Keywords: Climate change; Environmental health; Lithium-ion batteries; Metal toxicity; Mining; Occupational health.

Publication types

Review