 Discovery Information
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| Who: Carl Mosander |
| When: 1843 |
| Where: Sweden |
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| Name Origin
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| From Ytterby, Sweden. |
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| Sources
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| Found with other heavier rare earth metals, and in the minerals xenotime and euxenite. |
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| Uses
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| For making photographic filters and as a neutron absorber. Erbium oxide is used in ceramics to obtain a pink glaze.
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| When added to vanadium as an alloy erbium lowers hardness and improves workability.
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| Notes
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| Metallic erbium in dust form presents a fire and explosion hazard. |
| Erbium is mostly dangerous in the working environment, due to the fact that damps and gasses can be inhaled with air. This can cause lung embolisms, especially during long-term exposure. Erbium can be a threat to the liver when it accumulates
in the human body.
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