"Coltan (or colombo-tantalite, also known as Niobium and Tantalum) which is a strategic mineral utilized in the manufacture of electronic devices (manufacture of passive capacitors) like mobile telephones and laptops. 60% of the world Coltan reserves are located in the Kivu region. Over thousands artisanal workers are exposed to Coltan in the mines (most of them being young). However, very little is known about its human toxicity as well as the toxicity induced by the elements the mineral may contain such as pegmatite rock, radioactive sources namely Uranium, Thorium and Radium. A.O.Mustapha et al (Occupational radiation exposures of artisans mining columbiteâtantalite in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo) have described the exposure pathway during artisanal coltan and thus modeling the radioactive risk in the villages near Goma, in North Kivu.
This work has raised the fact that young artisans working in coltan mining are potentially at risk of high occupational exposures, due to the working conditions and to the radioactivity. Radon has been linked to lung cancer. Public health agencies rank residential radon-222 exposure as one of the leading causes of lung cancer after tobacco smoking. Hence, according to the work by Mustapha, one could expect coltan to be the major residential cause of lung cancer in these miners and to their relatives since coltan is stocked in the house where all the family spends their night.
The DRC ranks tenth among the worldâs 22 high-burden TB countries and the eighth among countries with the highest rates of HIV/TB co-infection (âTackling TB and HIV Co-Infection in the DRC: Results of Integration Efforts in 70 Test Sites â HIV-TB_integration_drc_br.pdfâ 2015). Itâs also ranked among fifteenth countries with less than 25% reduction in HIV/TB deaths (âTB & HIV Co-Infection Statistics | Global, Regional & Africaâ 2015). It seems crucial to understand how environmental risk ssuch as mining activities are associated with the increased in prevalence/incidence of TB-HIV co-infection in this region. Moreover, considering the traditional risk factors of respiratory diseases in mining sectors (such as tobacco smoking and under nutrition) quantifying the magnitude of the respiratory diseases due to coltan exploration is urgently needed.
Finally, respiratory diseases are on top of the list of ten leading causes of death in low income countries according to the WHO ; therefore, tackling respiratory risk related to geological environment such as artisanal mining in general in the context of climate change will contribute largely to improve health in DRC. Thus, our study aims to investigate how environmental risk factors are associated with the burden of respiratory diseases in this geochemical area known with high burden of TB and HIV. Our data will help planning for more effective interventions with policy maker to reduce and to prevent environmental hazards and thus improve health outcome in this region." Full article: http://cegemi.com/index.php/environmental-threats-and-respiratory-health-in-kivu/
âIn order to evaluate the damages that COLTAN mining activities exert on the environment, especially in areas where old methods of mining are still practiced, this present study aimed to investigate the contents of Ni, Mn, Pb, Cd, and Fe in ground and surface water in the mining district of Edege-Mbeki and to determine how the physicochemical parameters affect heavy metalsâ concentration. The choice of these heavy metals is premised on their potentially toxic nature and their adverse health effects above a threshold level (Khan and Bhat 2011). The results obtained can be applied to improve water management efficiency.â Full article: https://bnrc.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s42269-019-0237-0
âAlthough niobium and tantalum may not be the cause
of significant human health concerns, industrial exposure to
naturally occurring radioactive materials from enhanced levels of thorium and uranium during the processing of niobium
and tantalum ores may be a concern. Occupational exposure
can take place from external radiation and from inhaling and ingesting radioactive particles generated during mining and milling. Smokers, who inhale twice or more the amount of radon than do nonsmokers, have an increased risk for
exposure (Mangset and Sheyin, 2009). In Congo (Kinshasa), the grinding and sieving of columbite-tantalite ores during
artisanal mining has been shown to expose workers to high doses of radioactivity (Mustapha and others, 2007).â Full article: https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1802/m/pp1802m.pdf
Recommended Video; âThe effects of coltan mining in the DRCâ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcjTf9uOrrQ
"The early 2000s saw coltan help further technological development â but at what cost to the DRC?
To understand the weight coltan has on the people of DRC and its wildlife, we need to talk about what coltan is. Also known as columbite-tantalite, coltan is a metallic ore that is mined in the eastern part of the DRC, it is one of the most important minerals for todayâs technology.
Niobium and tantalum are extracted from coltan, with tantalum specifically playing a key role in the electronics industry. Its usage specifically contributing to capacitors, surface acoustic wave filters for sensors and touch screen technologies, hard disk drivers and led lights â according to the Polinares Case Study.
You will know touch screen technologies quite well, in fact, youâre probably using one to read this right now. The majority of the worldâs population use smartphones, Statista states that China, India and the United States easily surpass the 100 million users of smartphones mark alone."âŚ
"As of 2020 children in the DRC still continue to work in the mines, where they earn just $21 weekly and work constantly with no day off. Children are also at risk of sexual advances being made at them by their employers, alongside working inside narrow manmade tunnels that can potentially cause permanent lung damage.
Amnesty International have raised concerns over these conditions back in 2016, accusing Apple, Samsung and Sony of failing to do basic checks over where their smartphone metals are sourced from." Full article: https://impakter.com/your-smartphone-could-have-contributed-to-devastation-in-the-drc/
"Coltan, or columbite tantalite, is an ore from which niobium and tantalum are extracted. As a report from the US Geological Survey notes, the minerals are often found together, but have very different properties and applications; nearly 80 percent of the worldâs niobium is used in high-strength, low-alloy steels, while tantalum is key for the worldâs electronics industry.
The US Geological Survey lists Brazil, Canada and Australia as the leading producers of tantalum and niobium mineral concentrates. However, when it comes to the mining sector, the DRC is the global leader in tantalum production by quite a large margin.
The second largest miner is Rwanda, located next to the DRC in Central Africa. Rwanda was also involved in a bloody civil war, which resulted in violence and instability. There has been widespread speculation that much of Rwandaâs mineral production comes from smuggling in resources from other countries.
The aftermath of war has left both nations vulnerable to militia and other groups that often fight over control of the valuable mineral resource and mining sector. In the two nations, coltan is often mined through artisanal operations.
2. What is coltan? It provides the tantalum capacitors used in smartphones
Roughly two-thirds of tantalum is used to manufacture electronic capacitors, a fundamental component of smartphones and other in-demand electronics. Tantalum has contributed hugely to the miniaturization of handheld electronic devices as it allows an electrical charge to be stored in small capacitors. For this reason alone, itâs easy to see the value coltan plays in modern life.
Tantalum is also extremely ductile and can be drawn into a thin wire. Because it causes no immune response in the human body, it is also used to make surgical appliances, as a replacement for bone, as a connector of torn nerves and as a binding agent for muscles." Full article: https://investingnews.com/daily/resource-investing/critical-metals-investing/tantalum-investing/coltan-facts/