Antimony is a semimetallic chemical element that can be found in the earth’s crust. It is not an abundant element (about 0.00002% of the earth’s crust) but is found in small quantities in over 100 mineral species.
It may be found as a native metal (very rare) or combined with other substances to form antimony compounds that can be found in ores (rocks found in nature with minerals in them). However, antimony exists in two forms: the metallic form is bright, silvery, hard and brittle; the non-metallic form is a grey powder.
Antimony has been known since ancient times. Nowadays, it is an important metal in the world economy, with an annual production of about 50,000 tonnes per year. Antimony ores (usually stibnite, Sb2S3 and valentinite, Sb2O3) are mined and then mixed with other metals to form antimony alloys, which are used in various applications. China produces 88% of the world’s antimony. Other producers are Bolivia, Russia and Tajikistan.
Antimony is a poor conductor of heat and electricity, it is stable in dry air and is not attacked by dilute acids or alkalis. Antimony and some of its alloys expand on cooling.
Why is antimony a hazardous substance?
Antimony can have beneficial effects when used for medical reasons, although it presents some side effects. However, it all depends on the dose and the exposure route.
At high doses and with certain types of exposure it is a potentially hazardous substance that represents a risk for human health, especially regarding occupational exposure. Breathing its dust or exposure to relatively high concentrations of antimony (9 mg/m3 of air) for a longer period can cause heart and lung problems, stomach pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, and stomach ulcers.
When inhaled, its particles can be deposited in the lungs and some of these particles can be coughed up and swallowed. Small particles deposited deeper in the lungs are likely to pass through the lining of the lungs and enter the bloodstream, which can occur after several days or weeks, depending on the antimony compound.
Compounds that don’t dissolve easily, like antimony trioxide, will stay in the lungs longer where they can damage the lungs. In this connection, and although there are still no conclusive studies on the matter antimony trioxide can be reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen
Additionally, regarding the environment, it can pollute soils, and through groundwa- ter, it can travel great distances towards other locations and surface waters. Relatively high levels of it may kill small animals and animals that breathe in low levels of antimony for a long time may experience eye irritation, hair loss and lung damage.
Where can antimony be found?
Various sectors and industries use this heavy metal for many applications. In the construction and demolition industry it is very common to find it in the following elements:
- Sheet and pipe metal
- Bearings and castings
- Pewter
- Flame-proofing materials: textiles and plastics
- Paints
- Cable sheathing
- Solder
Furthermore, there are products in which this antimony is commonly present, such as lead storage batteries, flame-proofing textiles and plastics, ceramics, fireworks, enamels for plastics, metal, and glass infrared detectors and diodes, and bullets.
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This article can be found in the 2022 edition of the document. Find the full publication here:
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