The massive Baogang corporation, located on the outskirts of Baotou city, churns out rare earth metals on a vast scale, and villagers living near the smelting plants and a vast tailings dam used to dump the black refuse from ore processing said the rare earths boom was threatening their livelihood and health. Air and water toxins from the plants and dam were poisoning them, their water, crops and children, they said. China supplies 97 per cent of rare earths used worldwide, and they go into magnets, bearings and high-tech components that go into computers, vehicles and, increasingly, clean energy technology such as wind turbines and hybrid cars. - Photos by Reuters.