Metals in Human Society

There is almost nothing we do in modern life that does not involve, directly or indirectly, the use of metals. Metals have figured prominently in human activity for millennia.

Metallurgy in the broadest sense is the science and technology of metals. About ¾ of the known elements are metals. Metals are those elements which are typically solid, opaque, fusible, ductile, lustrous and good conductors of heat and electricity. To varying degrees metals can lose electrons to form cations; this is a crucial chemical property of great importance in extractive metallurgy. The remaining elements are defined in the context of the overwhelming preponderance of metallic elements, simply as non-metals. Both the metals themselves and their compounds are of vital importance in every day life. We simply could not function without them. Metals figure prominently in:

• Construction
• Energy
• Transportation
• Electronics/communications
• Health and medicine
• Food production Textiles

… as mentioned earlier, almost everything we do unavoidably involves metals. For instance, steel (based on iron) made modern construction and ground/sea transportation possible; aluminum allowed air transportation and electricity transmission to develop; copper is the backbone of energy and electronics sectors. The preceding three metals are, respectively, the numbers 1, 2 and 3 annual tonnage metals produced in the world.

Yet, metals have a bad reputation. The words “heavy metals” immediately conjure up fears of horrible poisons, both to human health and to the environment in which we live. This dichotomy will only be resolved by responsible production, use and disposal. Even then, we will probably continue to find that low level exposures to metal compounds have the potential for serious health and environmental problems.

Although metals have been in use from antiquity, it was the developments in the understanding of chemistry and physics coupled with the industrial revolution of the 18th century that spurred the technological capability needed to produce and use the great variety of materials we have, including metals. The impact of scientific and technological developments in the 20th century has been enormous. Far more could be said about this, but suffice it to say that life has been revolutionized by these changes. The future holds new challenges as developing nations increase demand, occupational and public health issues unfold and environmental issues continue to develop.