Giovanni Pagano has 40 years' experience in environmental research, including projects supported by grants from the European Commission and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He has been a senior scientist at the Italian National Cancer Institute in Naples, Italy, and a contractor scientist at the University of Naples Federico II, Italy. He is a visiting professor in various universities of France, Greece, and Croatia. Prof. Pagano has published 105 journal articles and 22 book chapters, with 1900 ResearchGate citations.

This book presents the multifaceted aspects of rare earth elements (REEs), focusing on both their potential benefits and adverse health effects. The adverse impacts of REEs on human and environmental health raise a growing concern not only in the scientific community but also among a number of stakeholders, potentially including students, media workers, and decision makers. The recognized and potential benefits arising from REE-related technological applications may envisage their further advantages.A limited number of books have been devoted so far to REEs, and they mainly focus on REE-related chemistry, mineralogy, economy, and developing technologies for these elements. This book presents recent research achievements in REE-associated health effects, which have been mostly confined to journal reports on individual laboratory studies so far. It is an updated and balanced approach to REE research and technology. It provides novel yet established information as stated in the title "e;At the Crossroads between Toxicity and Safety,"e; with particular emphasis on the hormesis phenomenon.

Trends in Occupational Toxicology of Rare Earth Elements

Industrial Use of REEs

Evaluation of Workers' Health for REE-Related Hazards

Recent Trends in Occupational Toxicology of REEs

Additional Efforts to Promote REE Occupational Health

Conclusions and Prospects

Introduction

Redox Chemistry of REEs

Oxidative Stress and Diseases: Roles of REEs

Conclusion

Introduction

Physicochemical Properties and Catalytic Activities of Nanoceria Are Dictated by Their Synthesis Methods

Biological Effects of Nanoceria: Antioxidative, Oxidative, and Modulation of Oxygen Level

Catalytic Activity of Nanoceria in Biological Tissues

Molecular Mechanisms of Nanoceria in Biological Systems

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Introduction

REEs in Mosses and Lichens

REEs and Ferns

REEs in Seed Plants

Mechanisms of REE Effects

Critical Remarks and Research Perspectives

Introduction

REEs and Microorganisms

Conclusion

Introduction

REE-Associated Toxicity Database in Algae

REE Uptake and Bioaccumulation in Algae

Critical Remarks and Research Prospects

Rare Earth Elements: An Overview

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion and Future Directions

Risk-Based Standards and Dose-Response Assessment

Features of the Hormetic Response

REE Dose-Response

Implications for REE Assessments

Introduction

The P-REE Relationship

Conclusion

Introduction

Growth Control in Epithelium and Stroma: Role(s) of Calcium

REE: Modulation of Epithelial Cell Biology

REE and Stromal Cell Biology

Summary and Conclusion

Hints to Chemical Speciation

Equilibrium Analysis at a Glance

Aspects of Cerium Oxides Nanoparticles Speciation in Biological Systems