111 - Hazards Associated with Electric Vehicle Lithium-ion Batteries: From Production to Recycling

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, widely used renewable energy storage devices enabling applications from cellular phones to electric vehicles (EV) and large-scale electrical energy storage plants, are a dense collection of lithium-ion electrochemical cells. Each cell consists of a positive cathode, a negative anode, and an electrolyte solution. Chemicals used in the multi-step production process include N-Methylpyrrolidone (NMP) used in anode manufacturing, crystals of lithium metal oxides, with a mix of nickel, cobalt, aluminum, and manganese layer the cathode, and Lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) is used in the electrolyte solution. Health effects include respiratory tract and skin irritation and sensitization, headache, corneal damage, anoxia, carcinogenicity, and reproductive toxicity. Periodic medical surveillance may be considered for early and timely detection of adverse health effects. With recent surged popularity and greater adoption of EV, clinical manifestations of inherent occupational hazards during its production lifecycle, still being determined, and processes involved in production and recycling will be discussed.