Bioaccumulation of rare earth elements in juvenile arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) under field experimental conditions

First assessment of Rare Earth Element organotropism in Solea solea in a coastal area: The West Gironde Mud Patch (France)

Few studies exist on concentration and internal distribution of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) in marine fishes. REEs organotropism was determined in common sole (Solea solea) from the West Gironde Mud Patch (WGMP; N-E Atlantic Coast, France). The highest ∑REEs concentrations occurred in liver (213 ± 49.9 μg kg-1 DW) and gills (119 ± 77.5 μg kg-1 DW) followed by kidneys (57.7 ± 25.5 μg kg-1 DW), whereas the lowest levels were in muscles (4.53 ± 1.36 μg kg-1 DW) of Solea solea. No significant age- or sex-related differences were observed. The organotropism varied among groups of REEs. Light and heavy REEs preferentially accumulated in liver and gills, respectively. All considered organs showed different normalized REEs patterns, suggesting differences in internal distribution processes between organs. Further work should address: (1) baseline levels worldwide, and (2) factors controlling uptake and organ-specific concentration of REEs.

Molecular insights into rare earth element (REE)-mediated phytotoxicity and its impact on human health

Rare earth elements (REEs) that include 15 lanthanides, scandium, and yttrium are a special class of elements due to their remarkable qualities such as magnetism, corrosion resistance, luminescence, and electroconductivity. Over the last few decades, the implication of REEs in agriculture has increased substantially, which was driven by rare earth element (REE)-based fertilizers to increase crop growth and yield. REEs regulate different physiological processes by modulating the cellular Ca2+ level, chlorophyll activities, and photosynthetic rate, promote the protective role of cell membranes, and increase the plant's ability to withstand various stresses and other environmental factors. However, the use of REEs in agriculture is not always beneficial because REEs regulate plant growth and development in dose-dependent manner and excessive usage of them negatively affects plants and agricultural yield. Moreover, increasing applications of REEs together with technological advancement is also a rising concern as they adversely impact all living organisms and disturb different ecosystems. Several animals, plants, microbes, and aquatic and terrestrial organisms are subject to acute and long-term ecotoxicological impacts of various REEs. This concise overview of REEs' phytotoxic effects and implications on human health offers a context for continuing to sew fabric scraps to this incomplete quilt's many layers and colors. This review deals with the applications of REEs in different fields, specifically agriculture, the molecular basis of REE-mediated phytotoxicity, and the consequences for human health.

Analysis of the Rare Earth Mineral Resources Reserve System and Model Construction Based on Regional Development

China is a large rare earth country that has pushed for related rare earth research, development, and application in the global development and progress of rare earths. The rare earth resource reserve strategy must be implemented by China due to the situation of rare earth resources at home and abroad, national security, and the need to strengthen the right to speak in the international market. This article builds the rare earth mineral resources reserve system and model from the perspective of regional development and uses the improved SURF algorithm to solve the problems of inaccurate mine location, mine location deviation, dislocation, overlap, and other issues, resulting in more accurate mineral resources reserve management data. The results show that the maximum relative error between the parallel profile method and the traditional method is 2.6%, which meets the requirement for mineral reserve calculation accuracy and can be used to calculate reserves. China's peak ionic rare earth output will be 46,797.06 tonnes in 2024, and then, it will decline at a 4% annual rate thereafter. This demonstrates how a graded reserve and orderly promotion can improve the workflow and efficiency of the rare earth mineral resources reserve.

Element concentrations, histology and serum biochemistry of arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) and shorthorn sculpins (Myoxocephalus scorpius) in northwest Greenland

The increasing exploratory efforts in the Greenland mineral industry, and in particular, the proposed rare earth element (REE) mining projects, requires an urgent need to generate data on baseline REE concentrations and their potential environmental impacts. Herein, we have investigated REE concentrations in anadromous Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) and shorthorn sculpins (Myoxocephalus scorpius) from uncontaminated sites in Northwest Greenland, along with the relationships between the element concentrations in gills and liver, and gill histology and serum biochemical parameters. Concentrations of arsenic, silver, cadmium, cerium, chromium, copper, dysprosium, mercury, lanthanum, neodymium, lead, selenium, yttrium, and zinc in gills, liver and muscle are presented. No significant statistical correlations were observed between element concentrations in different organs and gill histology or serum biochemical parameters. However, we observed positive relationships between age and histopathology, emphasizing the importance of including age as a co-variable in histological studies of fish. Despite no element-induced effects were observed, this study is considered an important baseline study, which can be used as a reference for the assessment of impacts of potential future REE mine sites in Greenland.

Advances in the Fate of Rare Earth Elements, REE, in Transitional Environments: Coasts and Estuaries

The production of rare earth elements, REE, has significantly increased over the past years, in parallel with the latest advances in nanotechnologies and representing a new group of emerging contaminants. They find application in construction, transport, agriculture, electronics, catalysis, and biomedicine. Their extraordinary intrinsic characteristics are fundamental for overcoming current technological challenges. The accumulation of REE is consistent in near-shore waters being affected by runoff, wastewater discharge, and proximity to built-up areas. Bioavailability in water, sediments, and accumulation in marine biota as well their endocrine disruptor effect is mostly unknown. There is a significant gap of knowledge on the ecotoxicological behaviour of REE in marine areas. The existing investigations have been performed inside well-mixed estuarine systems, due to complex hydrodynamics and multiple sediment transport situations. This hampers the definition of regulatory thresholds for REE concentrations and emissions. The review summarizes the existing information on REE geochemistry and physicochemical conditions influencing dissolution, surface complexation reactions, and distribution at the continent–ocean interface, as well as their speciation, bioavailability, and detrimental effects on living organisms. Strategies for reducing REE usage and inputs are also discussed.

Rare earth element bioaccumulation in the yellow and silver European eel (Anguilla anguilla): A case study in the Loire estuary (France)

In the present work, rare earth elements (REEs) were measured in European eel muscles (Anguilla anguilla) from the Loire estuary in France. This study site is characterized by a large anthropogenic pressure with potential activities releasing REEs such as oil refineries, aeronautic and naval industries, wind turbine industries, hospitals with magnetic resonance imaging and coal-fired power plants. These activities may lead to increased REE concentrations in sediments the primary habitat of European eels. In the present work, REE bioaccumulation was evaluated by determining the concentrations in yellow and silver eel muscles sampled at three different locations in the Loire estuary and at two periods (2011/2012 and 2018/2019). The aims of this study were the understanding of the spatio-temporal influences (sampling site and sampling period) and intraspecific variations (age, sex, sexual maturation, length, weight, and parasitism) on the whole REE bioaccumulation. The mean value of the sum of REE concentrations (∑REEs) was 2.91, 6.48 and 12.60 µg/kg of muscle from respectively yellow eels, female silver eels and male silver eels fished in 2018/2019. The results showed that silver males accumulated more REEs than silver females and silver eels accumulate more REEs than yellow ones. Regarding the determination of spatio-temporal variations, an increase of REE concentrations for silver eel muscles between the two periods was observed, certainly related to the increase of REE uses. Finally, a trend of higher contamination of eels sampled in the downstream of Nantes was noticed for yellow eels.

Accumulation patterns and species-specific characteristics of yttrium and rare earth elements (YREEs) in biological matrices from Maluan Bay, China: Implications for biomonitoring

The critical usage of rare earth elements (REEs) in a variety of industrial applications has increased their release to the environment as emerging contaminants, while little is known about the fate and transport of REEs in coastal aquatic biota. In the present study, seven common species were collected and the concentrations of 15 naturally occurring REEs (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu and Y) were determined. Significant differences in total REEs concentrations were found among species even in the same taxa or phylum, suggesting that REEs bioaccumulation patterns appeared to be species- and element-dependent even in the same taxa or phylum, but with limited potential for bio-magnification based on the nitrogen isotope signatures (δ¹⁵N). Except for occasional anomalies for redox-sensitive elements of Ce and Eu, the abundance patterns of REEs normalized to chondrite revealed similar REE distribution trends, indicating a common source of REEs in all samples. Additionally, the abundances of light REEs (from La to Eu) were much higher than those of heavy REEs (from Gd to Lu and Y), demonstrating the fractionation between the light and heavy REEs. Furthermore, REEs concentrations in molluscs were notably higher than other species, implying their potential as bio-indicators of REEs due to the habitat and specific feeding behavior. Overall, this is not only the first study to focus on distribution levels, accumulation characteristics, geochemical and fractionation patterns of REEs in coastal species from identical area, but quantifying and tracing REE behavior will contribute to better evaluating the possible environmental impacts of REEs enrichment for future biomonitoring research.