Why you shouldn’t be in a hurry to change phones
‘Endangered’ Elements Used To Make Mobiles Are Running Out
Quickly, Warn Scientists
Vital chemical elements have been included on an
“endangered list” because they are being thrown away in mobile phones at such a
high rate.
Scientists have warned some of the substances used to
make phones are becoming increasingly scarce due to limited supplies, their
location in conflict zones and the lack of recycling. To tackle this problem,
they say people should avoid changing their phones every few years.
Researchers have developed a periodic table
highlighting the scarcity of Earth’s 90 naturally occurring elements, many of
which are used in the production of devices like phones and TVs.
The work was carried out as part of a project by the
European Chemical Society (EuChemS), which represents more than 160,000
chemists from more than 40 member societies and other chemistry-related
organisations. The modernised periodic table was designed to mark the 150th
anniversary of its creation in 1869.
It is estimated that about 10 million smartphones are
discarded or replaced every month in the EU alone.
Smartphones are made up of around 30 elements,
including copper, gold and silver for wiring and lithium and cobalt in the
battery.
The bright colours of the display are produced by
small amounts of rare earth elements, including yttrium, terbium and
dysprosium. “It is astonishing that everything in the world is made from just
90 building blocks, the 90 naturally occurring chemical elements,” said
Professor David Cole-Hamilton, a chemist at the University of St Andrews.
“There is a finite amount of each and we are using
some so fast that they will be dissipated around the world in less than 100
years. Many of these elements are endangered, so should you really change your
phone every two years?” he said.
The periodic table will be launched at the European
Parliament on Tuesday by Labour MEPs Catherine Stihler and Clare Moody. The
event will also highlight the discovery of the oldest-known wallchart of the
periodic table, discovered last year at the University of St Andrews.
Ms Stihler said: “As we mark the 150th anniversary of
the periodic table, it’s fascinating to see it updated for the 21st century.
It’s also deeply worrying to see how many elements are on the endangered list,
including those which make up mobile phones.”
“It is a lesson to us all to care for the world
around us, as these naturally occurring elements won’t last forever unless we
increase global recycling rates and governments introduce a genuine circular
economy,” she added. Besides the problem of depleted reserves, many have raised
concerns about the mines in which some elements used to make smartphones are
extracted.
Extracting rare earth elements in China is known to
have an enormous environmental impact, while cobalt mines in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo have been highlighted as a major human rights concern.
Josh Gabbatiss
THE INDEPENDENT
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