Solar panels may be an appealing choice for clean energy, but they harbor their share of toxic chemicals. The toxic chemicals are a problem at the beginning of a solar panel's life -- during its construction -- and at the end of its life when it is disposed of. These two intervals are times when the toxic chemicals can enter into the environment.

The toxic chemicals in solar panels include cadmium telluride, copper indium selenide, cadmium gallium (di)selenide, copper indium gallium (di)selenide, hexafluoroethane, lead, and polyvinyl fluoride. Additionally, silicon tetrachloride, a byproduct of producing crystalline silicon, is highly toxic.

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read) During manufacture and after the disposal of solar panels, they release hazardous chemicals including cadmium compounds, silicon tetrachloride, hexafluoroethane and lead.

Cadmium Telluride

Cadmium telluride (CT) is a highly toxic chemical that is part of solar panels. In the journal, “Progress in Photovoltaics," it reported that male and female rats that received CT through ingestion did not gain weight as they normally should have. This lack of weight gain occurred at low, moderate and high doses. When inhaled, CT also prevented normal weight gain and caused lung inflammation and lung fibrosis, a hardening of lung tissue. From low to high doses of inhaled CT, the weight of the lungs increased. Moderate to high doses of inhaled CT proved lethal.

Copper Indium Selenide

The study of rats in “Progress in Photovoltaics” showed that ingestion of moderate to high doses of copper indium selenide (CIS) prevented weight gain in females but not males. Moderate to high doses of inhaled CIS increased the weight of a rat’s lungs and increased lung fibrosis. Lungs exposed to CIS produced high amounts of fluid. Another study of CIS on rats, reported in “Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology,” revealed that inhaling CIS caused rats to develop abnormal growths in their lungs.

Cadmium Indium Gallium (Di)selenide

Cadmium indium gallium (di)selenide (CIGS) is another chemical in solar panels that is toxic to lungs. The “Journal of Occupational Health” reported a study in which rats received doses of CIGS injected into the airway. Rats received CIGS three times a week for one week, and then researchers examined lung tissue until three weeks after that. The scientists used a low, moderate and high dose of CIGS. All doses resulted in lungs that had spots that were inflamed, meaning they were damaged. Lungs also had spots that produced excessive fluid. These spots worsened as time went on after the one week of exposure.

Silicon Tetrachloride