Lutetium (Lu)

Lutetium is one of the rarest rare earth metals and is only economically used to a small extent due to the difficulty in separating it from other lanthanides. One of the most important applications of the element is the use of lutetium oxyorthosilicate as a component in the construction of detectors for PET-CT devices.

Lutetium has no biological significance and is only present in extremely small quantities in the human body. Studies on rats have shown that ingested lutetium is primarily stored in the liver, with smaller amounts stored in the bones and spleen. Little is known about the toxic effects of lutetium and its compounds on living organisms. Chronic toxicity could not be established.

• Krebs, Robert E. (2006). The history and use of our earth's chemical elements: a reference guide. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 303–304. ISBN 978-0-313-33438-2.
• Emsley, John (2001). Nature's building blocks: an A-Z guide to the elements. Oxford University Press. pp. 240–242. ISBN 978-0-19-850341-5.
• Artur Palasz, Piotr Czekaj: Toxicological and cytophysiological aspects of lanthanides action. In: Acta Biochemica Polonica. 47, 2000, S. 1107–1114