L R AS Published on Wednesday 22 June 2022 - n° 409 - Categories:PV Watch

A look at the dangers of lithium

Lithium has become an established ingredient in electric vehicle batteries to provide endurance, speed and therefore practicality. However, the danger of lithium to human life has just been highlighted. The European Commission is seized of the problem. It has to decide. What is the situation?

Summary

To recognise or not to recognise the dangerousness of lithium?The European Chemicals Agency's Risk Committee draws attention to the hazardous nature of lithium

What is lithium? It is best known for its salts and its hazardousness

A strategic problem? A moral dilemma? A societal choice? The Commission's situation is delicate: either it refuses the danger of lithium and Europe remains in the global competition, or it recognises it and certain regions will refuse this activity. The development of electric vehicles is compromised!

Lithium is essential for producing batteries. Only two compounds are essential for the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles

A strategic problem? A moral dilemma? A societal choice? A choice must be made. It will be economic or health!

What is it? To govern is to choose!

The text

To recognise or not the danger of lithium?

On 23 and 24 March, the European Commission received the conclusions of the Risk Assessment Committee of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).

This agency published an opinion according to which it agreed with the French proposals to classify three lithium salts as toxic for reproduction in category 1A. It determined that lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide and lithium chloride should be classified (under the Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation) as substances that may impair fertility and harm the unborn child. He also said that these substances can harm breast-fed children.

The European Commission is expected to decide and then publish its first draft act between October and December. EU Member States can still object to the proposals until the summer.

What is lithium?

Lithium is used to produce rechargeable or high-voltage (65%) batteries. It is used by the glass and ceramics industry (18%), special lubricants, metallurgy and the rubber and thermoplastics industry, fine chemicals, the production of alloys, and for the treatment of air contaminated byCO2.

Lithium does not exist in its native state but in the form of three salts: lithium carbonate, which is an important industrial compound in metallurgy, glass and ceramics and electrochemistry.Lithium hydroxide provides fatty soaps for the manufacture of foundry lubricants and anti-adhesives. It is used in water reactors. Lithium chloride is used mainly to produce lithium metal. It is used as a welding flux for aluminium in automotive parts, as an air dryer.

According to Wikipedia, lithium salts affect the central nervous system. In the 1940s, lithium chloride was produced as a substitute for cooking salt, but was banned after its toxicity was discovered.

Lithium is fundamental to the production of batteries

Lithium is used in many industries but is of particular importance for electric vehicles. Lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide are both essential to the battery raw material supply chain: most new EV batteries contain lithium. Europe wants to focus on building up a battery industry in order to develop the production of electric vehicles and thus decarbonise the European world.

If it is officially confirmed that lithium is dangerous, what would happen to the various factory construction projects? The classification of lithium as a dangerous product would also have significant impacts on the research permit and on the exploitation of lithium mines. It is likely that investment decisions would be cancelled, delayed or amended as the regions affected by the decision would refuse to open such mines.

The hazardousness decision would impact on at least four stages of the EU lithium battery supply chain: lithium mining, processing, cathode production, and recycling. Several administrative issues, risk management and restrictions could hit each of these nascent industries in Europe, driving up costs.

Another aspect is that Europe has global regulatory influence: its decision will be copied by different countries.

A strategic problem? A moral dilemma? A societal choice?

The Commission has the choice between turning a blind eye and not recognising the danger of lithium. Member States could then develop a battery industry and thus build electric vehicles to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Europe would then remain in the global race for the development of electric vehicles. It will then be able to satisfy a part of its population that wishes to adopt an ecological way of life

The Commission may also recognise the dangerousness of lithium. Many regions will refuse to see mines opened on their territory. This would hamper the development of electric vehicles, while the European Commission has decided to ban the sale of combustion engine vehicles from 2035. This decision will have to be reversed immediately after it is adopted.

More seriously, the UK will have to decide on this dangerousness by 30 June 2022. If the UK refuses to recognise this dangerousness, activities and investors could find a host country at the expense of the European Union.

What does this mean?

To govern is to choose! The choice between the health of the population and ecological imperatives is acute in this decision. For the moment, there is no real technological alternative (as far as we know) to replace lithium. On the one hand, the industrial, strategic and ecological interests are so great that a recognition of this danger would be catastrophic. On the other hand, can we neglect the health of the population?

The debate will not only be as described above, but will also depend on the pressure of opinion groups behind the scenes with the members of the Commission. We will only know the conclusion: the decision to recognise the dangerousness, or on the contrary a postponement of the decision or even a great silence because the problem will have been buried! The solution adopted will indicate better than anything else what the Commission's approach is, and where it leads us!

To go further:

https://www.rystadenergy.com/newsevents/news/press-releases/european-commission-considers-classifying-lithium-as-toxic-potentially-eroding-its-energy-security-and-climate-goals/

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