The Toxic Lake That Our Smartphones Make

[Ben]

Interesting story on rare earth mining in China:

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150402-the-worst-place-on-earth

[brimic]

Not to mention Priuses and other hybrid cars....

Looking at the pictures of Chinese chemical/processing plants, I would have expected much worse considering some of the interesting things found in chemical raw materials from china that I've had to work with over the years.

[Ben]

Not to mention Priuses and other hybrid cars....

Yup. All the people here complaining about the environment sure don't mind if the bad stuff is in BFE China, as long as they still get their luxuries and conveniences. It would be interesting to see the effects on our high tech consumer industry if China instituted the same environmental restrictions as we have here in the US. It would be interesting to see the updated prices on Prius batteries and iPhones.

[MechAg94]

It is great to see confirmation of the wonders of modern Communism. 

[MillCreek]

I am reminded of when my wife and I visited the Berkeley Pit in Butte, Montana.  You would not want to fall into the water there, either.

[MechAg94]

I thought I heard about a lithium mine area in Canada also.

[bedlamite]

I thought I heard about a lithium mine area in Canada also.

That would probably be the Sudbury nickel mine in Ontario where Toyota got the nickel for the Prius batteries.

[charby]

Yup. All the people here complaining about the environment sure don't mind if the bad stuff is in BFE China, as long as they still get their luxuries and conveniences. It would be interesting to see the effects on our high tech consumer industry if China instituted the same environmental restrictions as we have here in the US. It would be interesting to see the updated prices on Prius batteries and iPhones.

I'll never trust an environmentalist with a shiny new laptop and shiny smart phone, even less trust if they have a shiny apple on it.