Is Your Cell Phone Drenched in Blood?
November 10, 2008 · Print This Article
Cell phones were once a luxury, something that people thought were sort of frivolous. But in today’s age of ever-advancing technology, we’ve come to consider them an absolute necessity. Now practically everyone owns one – and we replace them with new ones every 1-2 years. But at what cost? It turns out that a vital raw material used in many cell phones is often mined illegally, and by slave labor.
As we told you back in July, coltan – short for Columbite-tantalite – is refined to create a heat-resistant metal powder called tantalum that sells for $100 a pound, and illegal operations have cropped up in places like the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rwandan rebel soldiers were sending prisoners – including children – down into the dangerous mines to do the dirty work. All so we can enjoy our electronics.
Now, we’re being warned that the coltan mining in Congo is threatening the endangered Mountain Gorilla.
From The Inquisitr:
As well the mining of Coltan is located in the area as the Kahuzi Biega National Park which is the home of the Mountain Gorilla and because of this mining the gorilla population has been decimated. Whether it be from starvation because the mining is removing their habitat or from being shot to feed the people doing the mine this need for Coltan has a growing effect on both the people and the animals of the Congo.
Watch this video on coltan mining to get a real sense of the problem. It really makes you think about whether these gadgets are really worth it, doesn’t it?
Learn more about the effects of coltan mining and what electronics companies have to say for themselves in our previous post, ‘African Minerals and Electronics: Technology Soaked in Blood’.
Link [The Inquisitr]
Photo credit: Pulitzer Center
- SCARE = Support Citizens Against Radioactive Emissions
- Free Wilfred G Hathway by protesting abuse of process with legal entrapment!
- Stephen's Friendlington fire fixer
Related Posts:
African Minerals and Electronics: Technology Soaked in BloodMotion-Powered Cell Phone Chargers
Nokia Cell Phone Made of Sustainably Harvested Wood
Cell Phones Blamed for Fatal Lightning Strikes
Wind-Powered Phone Charging Stations at Glastonbury Festival
This is an important story for the public to know about and, yes, the intrusion within gorilla habitat does affect the animals. There are ways of mining without affecting the gorillas though that would be too detailed to get into here. One thing the general public can do is recycle your cell phones. Take a look at the eco-cell recycling company. Some zoos offer this program and funds, in some cases, go to gorilla conservation.
Versions of this story have been showing up over the last week or two so I though one important bit of information should be corrected; the gorillas are NOT the mountain gorilla subspecies (Gorilla beringei beringei). It is the eastern lowland gorilla (gorilla beringei graueri) that inhabits the Kahuzi-Biega National Park.
Hi,
I am a humanitarian worker writing from Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. Unfortunately, all you say about Coltan in your post is true. Planes full of the mineral fly above us everyday…
The silence of international media about this issue is enormous.
Thanks a lot for talking about this.
All the best
Today, I wrote to top 3 companies SE, Motorola, and Nokia whether they can assure me that their phones do not contain material sourced from these mines. I will post here if I get any replies from them.