What is the connection between coltan and gorillas?

Cell phones also contain an ore called Coltan, which is mined in endangered gorilla habitat in Africa. Loss of habitat and hunting are serious threats to the gorillas future. Reducing the demand for Coltan will help save these animals and their habitat.

What animals are affected by coltan mining?

The mines of columbite and tantalite, which result in coltan, wiped out the majority of the population of gorillas and elephants in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Why is mining coltan bad?

In the early 21st century coltan mining was associated with human rights violations such as child labour, systematic exploitation of the population by governments or militant groups, exposure to toxic chemicals and other hazards as a result of lax environmental protection, and general safety laws and regulations.

Is coltan still used in cell phones?

Tantalum from coltan is used to manufacture tantalum capacitors which are used for mobile phones, personal computers, automotive electronics, and cameras.

How does coltan mining affect the environment?

In addition to the human toll, coltan exploitation has also proven severely destructive to the region’s environment and biodiversity. Coltan mining has destroyed much of the gorillas’ natural habitat, leaving them vulnerable to poachers who kill them and sell them to coltan miners and rebel groups for food.

Is coltan toxic?

Coltan, which is highly toxic, is also blamed for birth defects in the areaswhere it is mined. An elite few have made a fortune from coltan but their wealth does not reach those desperately scraping the ore from makeshift mines.

What are the negative effects of coltan?

Coltan mining has destroyed much of the gorillas’ natural habitat, leaving them vulnerable to poachers who kill them and sell them to coltan miners and rebel groups for food. According to park surveys, the population of eastern lowland gorillas in KBNP plummeted from 8,000 in 1991 to approximately 40 in 2005.

Why is coltan so valuable?

Coltan is used primarily for the production of tantalum capacitors, used in many electronic devices. Coltan is important in the production of mobile phones; and tantalum capacitors that are used in almost every kind of electronic device.

Is coltan a rare earth element?

Rare Metals Background. Rare Metals and Metalloids (RMs) are physically and chemically dissimilar to rare earth elements. Tantalum and Niobium are the most chemically linked pair of RMs. They are typically found together in the ore columbite-tantalite (“coltan”).

Why are gorillas affected by coltan?

“One of the primary causes of the decline in Grauer’s gorilla numbers has been the expansion in artisanal mining for coltan and other minerals. Most of these artisanal mining sites are remote, which means that the miners often turn to local wildlife for food,” the organizations said in a statement.

Is coltan harmful to humans?

Coltan, which is highly toxic, is also blamed for birth defects in the areaswhere it is mined. An elite few have made a fortune from coltan but their wealth does not reach those desperately scraping the ore from makeshift mines. Lesak added: “There are a handful of very rich people and the rest get nothing.

How much is coltan worth?

1kg costs around $100, but prices have historically been as high as $600 per kg. A Congolese Coltan miner can earn up to $200 per month. However according to a recent report by Amnesty International children as young as seven are working in Congolese mines, being paid a dollar a day to extract this ore.