Metals have played a major role in medicine for more than a century, and have been the catalyst for dynamic shifts in the medical field, offering safer, more hygienic, and more efficient environments, as well as advancing highly complex procedures. 

Today’s modern surgery centers are surrounded by metal-infused products, and inspired technology truly demonstrates their value in enhancing the human experience. Those metals in medicine are found through Alaska-mined metals.

Biocompatible Metals

Certain metals have biocompatibility and are non-toxic to human tissue and fluids. Other metals retain their unique composition against chemical disinfectants used for sterilization. Alaska-mined metals for medicine used for implants must be non-magnetic,  non-corrosive, and non-toxic.  

Alaska-Mined Metals Used In Medicine

Several types of mined metals and metal alloys are today indispensable in the medical field and have revolutionized medicine and medical procedures. This includes metals in medicine that increase surgical safety, enhance human mobility, heal wounds, and, in some cases, forge new paths for treating diseases.

Gold*

Gold is quite possibly one of the very first metals used as part of medical procedures and one of the first metals used in dentistry. It is corrosion-resistant and today is commonly found in plating on wires, conductors, and other micro-electronic components used in sensors and electro-stimulation implants.

More recently, gold nanoparticles have opened an entirely new avenue in bioengineered cancer therapy. This theranostic system is being applied in the field of molecular detection, biological imaging, cancer cell targeting, and more. (Source: National Cancer Institute)

This is where mining and medicine overlap. Without a steady supply of gold, many advanced treatments wouldn’t exist.

*Alaska natural resource. 

‍

Gold is one of the major metals found and mined in Alaska, with more than 700,000 troy ounces mined worth more than $800 million in 2018 alone. (Source: Bureau of Land Management)

‍

Copper*

Copper is a mined metal many might label with medical superpowers because of its outstanding antiviral and antibacterial properties. Hospitals use copper for high-touch surfaces like door handles, bed rails, and switches to prevent the transfer and spread of bacteria, germs, and viruses.

Few people link copper to healthcare, but it’s another example of how mined metals in medicine keep these environments safer.

*Alaska natural resource. 

Silver*

Silver, like copper, is naturally antimicrobial. According to the National Library of Medicine, silver dressings promote healing and prevent pathological scarring in patients with burn wounds. Silver dressings also help to reduce wound bioburden and treat local infections. 

Silver is used broadly for stents and non-load-bearing implants, as well as alloyed with zinc or copper to make dental fillings.

The connection between mining and medicine is clear here. Silver must be sourced before it can save lives.

*Alaska natural resource. 

Cobalt* Chrome

Cobalt chrome has high wear resistance, and the surface can be electropolished to a smooth surface to prevent contamination. It is used for joint replacements, hip and shoulder socket replacements, and dental implants. Alaska mined metals for medicine like cobalt chrome help create implants that last through decades of movement.

*Alaska natural resource.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is durable, non-toxic, non-corrosive/corrosion-resistant, and easily cleaned and sterilized. This mined metal is used in many types of medical appliances and medical implants that have become commonplace. Most surgical tools, such as forceps, tweezers, suture staples, and other equipment, are made of stainless steel. Certain grades with a high carbon fiber allow it to be heat-treated to create sharply edged cutting instruments. (Source: ScienceDirect)

Stainless steel is also used for orthopedic products such as hip and knee replacement joints, and in screws and plates used to stabilize broken bones. Stainless steel mesh is often used for intravascular stents. 

Titanium

Corrosion-resistant titanium is found in many types of medical appliances and is now a common substitute for stainless steel to make lightweight, yet durable skeletal supports and bone replacements. Titanium is also used in dental implants; it can be metal 3D printed to create customized parts from a patient’s scans and X-rays.

It's one of the most widely used mined metals in medicine, especially for joint replacements and bone repair.

Aluminum

Aluminum is a commonly used metal in medicine. It is preferred for support equipment that must be light, strong, and corrosion-resistant, such as wheelchairs, walking sticks, and orthopedic supports. 

Platinum

Platinum is biocompatible and is also an excellent conductor. Thin platinum wires are used for internal electronic implants, such as pacemakers and hearing aids. 

Mining and medicine connect here, as platinum must be sourced before it can power life-saving devices inside the body.

Iridium

Iridium, or idiom oxide, is used mainly to coat the wiring used for electro-stimulation devices.

Why Medicine Needs Mined Metals, And Why That’s Good for Alaska

Hospitals can’t function without metals. Titanium makes implants last. Zinc supports wound healing. Copper powers surgical tools. These metals do real work.

But they don’t appear in hospitals by magic. They come from mines. And Alaska has them, often in high purity and large quantities. That matters. The more we depend on medical technology, the more we depend on a steady supply of mined materials.

Mining is good for Alaska. It creates jobs, supports communities, and keeps critical metals flowing into the systems that keep people alive. Without new mining, the pipeline runs dry. And that means medical innovation slows down.

Alaska mines for metals used in medicine. It also delivers what hospitals, clinics, and patients rely on every day. The next time someone gets a new hip, recovers from a burn, or fights infection with silver-based dressings, there’s a good chance a piece of Alaska helped make it possible.