Q: I was told by my friend that cell phones are bad because they are made with something mined in an area where Mountain Gorilla habitat is.  Sounds weird, and I can not find anything to verify this.  Is this true and if so, what exactly are they mining in the Mountain Gorilla habitat that can not be found elsewhere in the world.

Karen Lund

A:  Yes, the mined ore is Columbite-tantalite, or coltan.  It is refined to produce a heat resistant powder that carries an electrical charge, a material used in several electronic parts, including the "cell phone chip." 

Here are a few links.  Note that the first very thorough report is from 2001, so the problem is not new.   Imagine how many more cell phones have been produced since this article!

http://www.globalissues.org/article/442/guns-money-and-cell-phones

http://www.cellular-news.com/coltan/

http://ethicsandanimals.com/2008/04/09/how-our-gadgets-cause-death-in-th...

Note: My eight-year old blackberry phone just died so I bought an iPhone.  Did I need a new gadget?  To function in this world of fast communication and share my news about animal health, yes, I think so, but there's no question the phone cost the earth something.  On the other hand, I'd used my prior cell phone for five years, so this is my third phone in eleven years.  Unfortunately, many people go for a new phone every year. . .