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Iodine, Chile (Atacama, SQM)
Atacama, Chile23.50°S 69.30°W
computed criticality17/100
reading
Chile ~2/3 of world iodine (Atacama desert nitrates)
2024Fault line
Iodine, essential to medical contrast media, disinfectants and LCD screens, comes two-thirds from a single desert, the Atacama, a by-product of nitrate mining. Japan is the second pole.
Actors
SQM
Cosayach
Japanese producers
Sources