Assessing the Risks of Critical Metals in the Environment

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The project "Assessing the Risks of Critical Minerals in the Environment" (ARCMITE) is directed towards understanding the potential risks of rare earth and platinum group metals in the Canadian environment. The rare earth and platinum group metals are included in Canada's 2021 Critical Minerals List, the minerals identified as essential for our country's economic success and security and also required to meet our goals for a low carbon economy. While increasingly important to our economy, there is very little information on the potential environmental effects of rare earth and platinum group metals. The goal of our research is to develop data that will facilitate the development of soil and water quality guidelines and criteria for environmental protection. We will use a combination of field and lab based approaches to learn how water and soil chemistry influences the bioavailability and bioaccumulation of these metals and how this can subsequently lead to toxic effects and impairment of sensitive biota. The research team includes both academic and federal researchers with complementary expertise on the chemistry, bioavailability and impacts of metals in both soil and aquatic environments. The effects of combinations of metals will be an important consideration in these studies because contamination of the environment generally occurs as mixtures. The team is supported by industry and government partners, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Cheetah Resources Inc. and Stantec. The partners each have key roles to ensuring that our understanding of how environmental conditions influence the impacts of these poorly understood metals is developed and applied. Cheetah Resources has recently opened Canada's first rare earth element mine and is providing access to their mine site in the Northwest Territories as well as training opportunities for students. Stantec will also play an important role in ensuring experimental approaches reflect real Canadian conditions. Environment and Climate Change Canada has a key role in ensuring the research is designed to meet the needs of Canadians, and that the outcomes are applied to enhance environmental protection under Canada's Chemical Management Plan.