come from? manufacturing and foundry industries. No tellurium wastes are reported in Australian hazardous waste generation data. This may be due to the fact that wastes are likely to be classified according to other more dominant species present, such as copper, lead, zinc or cadmium. Perhaps the biggest issue with tellurium is a future one. The rapid rise of solar panels has excellent upside from a clean energy generation perspective, but presents a potential waste challenge in the years ahead when a critical mass of solar panels reach end of life. may drive recycling efforts, which are not Tellurium’s rarity prevalent at present. Likely to be chemical/ physical treatment to immobilise the hazard, How is it Main fates then the stabilised material would be disposed of in hazardous waste managed? landfill. Volume score <1% 1 5% 5 10% 10 20% 20% – – – ≥ (% of national tonnes in 2013) Not reported How much is generated in TOTAL: 0 ACT: 0 NSW: 0 Australia? Waste arising in NT: 0 Qld: 0 SA: 0 2013 (tonnes) Tas: 0 Vic: 0 WA: 0 Tellurium and tellurium compounds are considered to be mildly toxic and need to be handled with care, although acute poisoning is rare. Overview Tellurium poisoning is particularly difficult to treat as many chelation agents used in the treatment of metal toxicities will increase the toxicity of tellurium. Tellurium is not reported to be carcinogenic. Low: Harmful by inhalation, in contact with skin and if swallowed. Humans exposed to even small concentrations in air exude a foul Potential health Acute toxicity garlic-like odour known as Tellurium is "tellurium breath.”1 impacts metabolized by the body to dimethyl telluride, (CH3)2Te, a volatile compound with a highly pungent garlic-like smell. Chronic toxicity None known Carcinogenicity None known Reproductive None known toxicity Inhalation of dusts from metal refining operations is a possible source of workplace exposure to tellurium compounds. Such exposure has been linked to the ‘garlic breath’ Workplace phenomenon, which is reported as a good indicator of tellurium even at mild ‘poisoning’, health & safety levels.2 impacts Should a future recycling industry emerge for dealing with end of life solar panels, there may be a new issue of potential exposure. While the cadmium telluride chemical structure
come from? manufacturing and foundry industries. No tellurium wastes are reported in Australian hazardous waste generation data. This may be due to the fact that wastes are likely to be classified according to other more dominant species present, such as copper, lead, zinc or cadmium. Perhaps the biggest issue with tellurium is a future one. The rapid rise of solar panels has excellent upside from a clean energy generation perspective, but presents a potential waste challenge in the years ahead when a critical mass of solar panels reach end of life. Tellurium’s rarity may drive recycling efforts, which are not prevalent at present. How is it managed? Main fates Likely to be chemical/ physical treatment to immobilise the hazard, then the stabilised material would be disposed of in hazardous waste landfill. How much is generated in Australia? Volume score (% of national tonnes in 2013) <1% 1 – 5% 5 – 10% 10 – 20% ≥ 20% Not reported Waste arising in 2013 (tonnes) TOTAL: 0 ACT: 0 NSW: 0 NT: 0 Qld: 0 SA: 0 Tas: 0 Vic: 0 WA: 0 Potential health impacts Overview Tellurium and tellurium compounds are considered to be mildly toxic and need to be handled with care, although acute poisoning is rare. Tellurium poisoning is particularly difficult to treat as many chelation agents used in the treatment of metal toxicities will increase the toxicity of tellurium. Tellurium is not reported to be carcinogenic. Acute toxicity Low: Harmful by inhalation, in contact with skin and if swallowed. Humans exposed to even small concentrations in air exude a foul garlic-like odour known as "tellurium breath.”1 Tellurium is metabolized by the body to dimethyl telluride, (CH3)2Te, a volatile compound with a highly pungent garlic-like smell. Chronic toxicity None known Carcinogenicity None known Reproductive toxicity None known Workplace health & safety impacts Inhalation of dusts from metal refining operations is a possible source of workplace exposure to tellurium compounds. Such exposure has been linked to the ‘garlic breath’ phenomenon, which is reported as a good indicator of tellurium ‘poisoning’, even at mild levels.2 Should a future recycling industry emerge for dealing with end of life solar panels, there may be a new issue of potential exposure. While the cadmium telluride chemical structure