| Table 5 Highlights some of the common pollutants and environmental impacts |
| Metal | Main Producers | Uses | Extraction Method | Environmental Problems |
|
Iron (Fe) |
Brazil, Australia, US, China, former Soviet Union | Most commonly used metal: primary use is in steel-making for construction and machinery |
Deep, drift and opencast mining |
Water, land and polution at mining and processing plant |
| Aluminium (Al) | Australia, Guinea-Bissau, Jamaica, Surinam, Guyana | Second most widely used metal. Used in aircraft (light) and electrical wiring (good conductor) | Formerly deep mining, now mainly open pit | High energy requirements of extraction of Al from ore |
| Lead (Pb) | US, former Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, Peru | Battery electrodes, paint pigments and as an additive in petrol | Formerly deep mining, now mainly open pit | Production of SO2 during ore smelting: acid mine drainage |
| Zinc (Zn) | Canada, former Soviet Union, US, Australia, Peru | In iron and steel products, chemical industry and diecasting | Formerly deep mining, now mainly open pit | Production of SO2 during ore smelting: acid mine drainage |
| Copper (Cu) | US, Chile, former Soviet Union, Canada, Zambia, Zaire | Electrical wiring and cooking utensils | Formerly deep mining, now mainly open pit | Production of SO2 during ore smelting: acid mine drainage |
| Tin (Sn) | Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Nigeria | Tin plating of steel cans, in the production of organotin, as analloy in soldering and bronze-making | Alluvial mining (recovery of tin from river sediments) | Contamination of surrounding area, excessive siltation in water bodies |
| Nickle (Ni) | Former Soviet Union, Canada, Australia, Indonesia | In steel production; also in chemical industry for the production of dyes, catalysts and pigments | Formerly deep mining, now mainly open pit | Production of SO2 during ore smelting: acid mine drainage |
| Uranium (U) | US, Canada, South Africa, Namibia, Australia | Nuclear energy production | Usually extracted by open pit methods | Environmental contamination including risk from radioactive residue to ground water and human health |