BGS Risk List (10)

Welcome to the first weekly feature of a countdown of the 10 most at risk elements as according to the BGS. Click here for a recap of the scoring system.

RANKING:

10

ELEMENT NAME AND SYMBOL:

Beryllium (Be)

RELATIVE SUPPLY RISK INDEX:

8.1

WHY?:

Only three countries produce Be (and the USA alone mines 90% of total supplies) and so the risk here is mainly a political one

LEADING PRODUCER:

USA

TOP RESERVE HOLDER:

UNKOWN

WHY THE DEMAND?:

Beryllium is a fairly rare element in the Earth due to it only being stable in minerals (in combination with other elements). Its concentration in the crust is of just 2-6ppm.

Beryllium is very harmful to humans if not correctly handled and so doesn’t have many applications. It is however used to alloy with other metals due to its extreme hardness, and can then be used in many aircraft components due to it being strong yet lightweight. Another novel use is in x-ray tube radiation windows, due to Be being a very low absorber of x-rays. Most Beryllium mined in the US is used by the military, although what they use it for is guarded.