iPhones born in rare earths

Smartphones are all the rage, but few realize the human toll in creating them. From Coltan mined in the DR Congo to rare earth mines in Las Vegas, side effects of the mining cause problems.

Rare earths come with pleasantly exotic names like neodymium and cerium, but mining techniques often cause environmental hazards. At least one US Company, Molycorp, is trying to use environmentally friendly methods, but China, digging around the world (including DR Congo), is a problem.

"...in China, which produces more than 90 percent of the world's supply of rare-earth minerals, environmental laws have historically been scant and enforcement lax. The center of rare-earth mining there is Baotou, a city in Inner Mongolia with 2.3 million residents that's become something of a poster child for mining's ecological wreckage."

•  Digging for rare earths: The mines where iPhones were born (includes a video)

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