Dealing with potential environmental regulations for tungsten bearing compounds

Tungsten, a metal of extraordinary properties that make it hardly substitutable, is considered an essential commodity with a large variety of uses ranging from household necessities to highly specialized applications. The intense scrutiny of tungsten and tungsten compounds by the scientific community along with the new European chemical regulations (REACH, Registration Evaluation Authorization of Chemicals) demand a full scale life cycle analysis of these products which should at minimum include: • A comprehensive characterization of material, energy consumption and environmental relevant releases associated to the production of tungsten powder and tungsten products • An evaluation of the environmental impacts associated with the fabrication, use and disposal of tungsten based products such as lighting (i.e., light bulbs), sporting goods (hunting ammunition, fishing weights and sinkers), military ammunition, (i.e., kinetic energy penetrators, small caliber ammunition), etc. Life cycle investigations may be the best approach to address the concerns of the regulatory agencies and the tungsten users in general.