What we know about the toxin cadmium in five minutes or less.

What we know about Cadmium in five minutes or less

#

Do you remember the good old days where Solar panels were cool and harmless? Well that dream is over. To boost the efficiency of solar panels to make them more productive and cost efficient several new doping agents were added to them. Along with amorphous copper siliconade, cadmium telluride is one of these chemicals. During the production process a very thin layer of it is placed between the glass and the ecapsulation foil, this thin layer actual impregnates the pores of the glass rendering it toxic and unrecyclable. Most of the cadmium that is used for production of solar panels comes from industry seconds from producers of electronic boards. At one point in time, cadmium was listed as the sixth most dangerous substance known to man.

There was a big debate over how water saluable this thin layer was, which was put to rest by the university of stuttgart’s research into the chemical. The university discovered that nearly all of the cadmium telluride in solar panels would completely wash out along with other toxins when exposed to rain in a matter of months and into the ground soil below contaminating it.

But, this is not the only means of getting exposed to cadmium telluride. The material has a special characteristic that makes it a little more hazardous than the rest. Cadmium telluride, when exposed to high temperatures or an open flame, changes from a solid to a gaseous vapor. This vapor cloud will travel several hundred feet until it begins to cool and coagulates in the form of another toxin that has a slightly different molecular structure because of the energy exchange and laws of chemistry. It is this vaporous gas that is extremely carcinogenic and will lead to lung cancer.

The effects of contamination are cancer, childhood leukemia, early onset osteoporosis, birth defects, and physical disfigurations that are genetically inherited from generation to generation. Cadmium Telluride is listed as being highly carcinogenic, like many complex inorganic molelcules. This chemical is so toxic that the university of north carolina reccommends that all topsoil should be replaced around all solar arrays. Even Georgia Tech reccommends that all solar power plants are placed on an impenetrable foundation that prevents run off from entering ground water.

In the facility planned for Lamar county there will be no such system preventing toxic runoff from entering the soil and groundwater surrounding the facility. In fact, resting down hill from the planned installation sits a man-made lake that is kept filled by well water, and a natural spring that sits at the very bottom of the proposed installation site. This natural spring is reported to naturally flow into the little potatoe creek which is a tributary to the flint river. As locals know, the flint river is a favorite recreation area of many residents and pleasure seekers. The river also is the source for irrigation of many of the local areas farms. Which sounds nothing less than disasterous.