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Toxic Metals in a Green Transition : Global Health Risks, Sources, and Policy Responses-Insights from the Munich Toxic Metals Symposium 2025

Bose-O'Reilly, Stephan ; Rakete, Stefan ; Landrigan, Philip J. ; Elbel, Johanna ; Nordberg, Monica ; Nordberg, Gunnar ; Broberg, Karin LU orcid ; Fitriani, Dewi Yunia ; Forsyth, Jenna and Gaitens, Joanna , et al. (2026) In Annals of Global Health 92(1).
Abstract

Background: The global energy transition toward climate neutrality is driving rapid growth in the demand for critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel. While indispensable for decarbonization, their extraction, processing, and recycling expose workers, communities, and ecosystems to toxic metals, including lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and manganese, raising significant public health concerns. Objectives: This article synthesizes evidence presented at the Toxic Metals Symposium 2025 in Munich to assess health impacts, exposure pathways, and policy challenges related to toxic metals in the green energy transition. Methods: The analysis integrates findings from multidisciplinary studies presented at the symposium, including... (More)

Background: The global energy transition toward climate neutrality is driving rapid growth in the demand for critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel. While indispensable for decarbonization, their extraction, processing, and recycling expose workers, communities, and ecosystems to toxic metals, including lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and manganese, raising significant public health concerns. Objectives: This article synthesizes evidence presented at the Toxic Metals Symposium 2025 in Munich to assess health impacts, exposure pathways, and policy challenges related to toxic metals in the green energy transition. Methods: The analysis integrates findings from multidisciplinary studies presented at the symposium, including environmental monitoring, biomonitoring, occupational health research, and policy assessments across multiple geographic contexts. Findings: Evidence from mining regions, informal recycling hubs, and urban areas demonstrates widespread and persistent exposure to toxic metals from both legacy and ongoing sources. Lead and mercury are linked to impaired cognitive development in children, cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, hypertension, and anemia. Arsenic and cadmium exposures are associated with increased cancer risk and renal dysfunction. Occupational studies report cobalt and nickel exposures exceeding safety thresholds, even in modern battery recycling facilities. Emerging research highlights cumulative, low-dose, and transgenerational effects, particularly among vulnerable populations. Although advances in monitoring technologies and community biomonitoring improve detection, weak regulatory enforcement and the prevalence of informal sectors continue to limit risk reduction. Conclusions: Managing toxic metal risks is essential for a just and sustainable green transition. Health safeguards must be embedded in climate and industrial policies from the outset, supported by enforced corporate due diligence and long-term remediation financing. Protecting human health must be a co-equal priority to carbon reduction to prevent reproducing historical environmental injustices.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
cobalt, critical raw materials, green transition, health, lead, lithium, mercury, nickel, occupational & environmental safety, policy interventions, uranium
in
Annals of Global Health
volume
92
issue
1
pages
26 pages
publisher
Ubiquity Press Ltd.
external identifiers
  • pmid:41970965
  • scopus:105035570890
ISSN
2214-9996
DOI
10.5334/aogh.5214
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
64c1efdd-8aa1-4528-a27a-0cec90d101db
date added to LUP
2026-06-24 13:06:14
date last changed
2026-09-04 01:06:34
@article{64c1efdd-8aa1-4528-a27a-0cec90d101db,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: The global energy transition toward climate neutrality is driving rapid growth in the demand for critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel. While indispensable for decarbonization, their extraction, processing, and recycling expose workers, communities, and ecosystems to toxic metals, including lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and manganese, raising significant public health concerns. Objectives: This article synthesizes evidence presented at the Toxic Metals Symposium 2025 in Munich to assess health impacts, exposure pathways, and policy challenges related to toxic metals in the green energy transition. Methods: The analysis integrates findings from multidisciplinary studies presented at the symposium, including environmental monitoring, biomonitoring, occupational health research, and policy assessments across multiple geographic contexts. Findings: Evidence from mining regions, informal recycling hubs, and urban areas demonstrates widespread and persistent exposure to toxic metals from both legacy and ongoing sources. Lead and mercury are linked to impaired cognitive development in children, cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, hypertension, and anemia. Arsenic and cadmium exposures are associated with increased cancer risk and renal dysfunction. Occupational studies report cobalt and nickel exposures exceeding safety thresholds, even in modern battery recycling facilities. Emerging research highlights cumulative, low-dose, and transgenerational effects, particularly among vulnerable populations. Although advances in monitoring technologies and community biomonitoring improve detection, weak regulatory enforcement and the prevalence of informal sectors continue to limit risk reduction. Conclusions: Managing toxic metal risks is essential for a just and sustainable green transition. Health safeguards must be embedded in climate and industrial policies from the outset, supported by enforced corporate due diligence and long-term remediation financing. Protecting human health must be a co-equal priority to carbon reduction to prevent reproducing historical environmental injustices.</p>}},
  author       = {{Bose-O'Reilly, Stephan and Rakete, Stefan and Landrigan, Philip J. and Elbel, Johanna and Nordberg, Monica and Nordberg, Gunnar and Broberg, Karin and Fitriani, Dewi Yunia and Forsyth, Jenna and Gaitens, Joanna and Lu, Jinky Leilanie and Nowak, Dennis and Sanchez-Triana, Ernesto and Turner, Sophie and Yabe, John and McDiarmid, Melissa and Harari, Florencia}},
  issn         = {{2214-9996}},
  keywords     = {{cobalt; critical raw materials; green transition; health; lead; lithium; mercury; nickel; occupational & environmental safety; policy interventions; uranium}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Ubiquity Press Ltd.}},
  series       = {{Annals of Global Health}},
  title        = {{Toxic Metals in a Green Transition : Global Health Risks, Sources, and Policy Responses-Insights from the Munich Toxic Metals Symposium 2025}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/aogh.5214}},
  doi          = {{10.5334/aogh.5214}},
  volume       = {{92}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}