Cobalt Crisis!!

Everybody likes electronic devices, such as, an phone, iPad, or a computer. In the last decade, everyone has been drawn to the electronics of today.

But, what’s the science behind it…..

If you were to take the case and the cover off your phone, you would find the battery — the thing that powers your phone.

Image result for mined cobalt

If you weren’t aware, the battery is made out of an element called cobalt. Like almost every other element, cobalt is found underground. The majority of the world’s cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Congo isn’t exactly the richest country. An average person will only make $489 per year. It’s a hard life there.

It isn’t easy to get the cobalt in the first place. The Africans mining the Cobalt in the Congo can spend as much as 24 hours at a time in a dark, cold tunnel, working with poisonous cobalt.

So, the people in the Congo struggle to make a good salary.  On a good day of mining, they will dig up about 200-250 pounds of cobalt, but make only make 2-3 dollars.

So while you enjoy the low costs of a new phone battery, people in the Congo are dying of the low salary.

So use the battery that you have, and consider yourself lucky. And then, do everything you can to help places like the DRC.  People there deserve a better life.

By: Mathew L. and Carson S.

Edited by: Sofia T and Kayla P

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