Applications
Gadolinium has found some use in control rods for nuclear reactors and nuclear
power plants; it is used to make garnets for microwave applications and its
compounds are used for making phosphorous for colour TV tubes. Metallic
Gadolinium is rarely used as the metal itself, but its alloys are used to make
magnets and electronic components such as recording heads for video recorders.
It is also used for manufacturing compact disks and computer memory.
Gadolinium in the environment
Gadolinium is one of the more abundant rare-earth elements. It is never found as
free element in nature, but it is contained in many rare minerals. The main
mining areas are Cina, USA, Brazil, Sri Lanka, India and Australia with reserves
expected to exceed one million tonnes. World production of pure Gadolinium is
about 400 tonnes per year.
Health effects of Gadolinium
Gadolinium, as the other lanthanides, forms compounds of low to moderate
toxicity. Gadolinium salts irritate skin and eyes and are suspected to be
tumorigens. Gadolinium toxicity has not been investigated in detail.
Environmental effects of Gadolinium
Gadolilium poses no Environmental threat to plants and animals