WE rely on flame retardants to stop furniture catching fire and on catalytic converters to clean up car exhaust. But these and other products are threatened because the supply of chemical elements needed to make them is at risk.
So says the British Geological Survey (BGS), which has compiled a assessing the precariousness of our supplies. The study examines the scarcity of each element in Earth鈥檚 crust, how many countries produce it and the political stability of those countries. It says supplies of antimony, tungsten, mercury and the platinum group of elements are most endangered.
聯Supplies of antimony, tungsten and the platinum group of elements are most endangered聰
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The problem is even more acute than that of the 鈥渞are-earth鈥� elements used to make many consumer electronics goods, which hit the headlines earlier this year when China, the world鈥檚 biggest supplier, blocked exports.
of the BGS says there are plenty of rare-earth resources elsewhere on the planet, and the risk to their availability should soon fall because the recent supply worries have attracted interest from investors willing to fund new mines.
