They work for mere pennies.
Despite the fact that we live in the XXI century the miners of the Congo, mining of the mineral coltan (tantalum), are forced to use the technology of our ancestors.
The main tool here is a pickaxe, a shovel, and a simple device for separating the mineral from the soil. Coltan is called the precious mineral, it is an excellent conductor and it is used in the manufacture of popular modern smartphones.
On the market this mineral is quite expensive, however, the miners working in appalling conditions 12 hours a day can count in the best cases at a salary of $ 3 per shift.
The situation is exacerbated by the constant wars between armed factions seeking to gain control over deposits of coltan, from which this mineral is also called “blood mineral”. About the working conditions of the miners engaged in the extraction of coltan, without a word of this post.
© 2017, paradox. All rights reserved.