Cell Phone Material

Plastic

The casing of the cell phone is made of plastic. Plastic is a man-made material derived from petroleum. Manufacturers distill crude oil known as “heavy petrol” and treat it with heat to create the hardened plastic. Polycarbonate and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene are the plastics that make up the majority of the casing, keypad and adapters. Brominated flame retardants coat the plastic shell.

 

Liquid Crystal

Liquid crystal displays, known as LCDs, are flat-panel displays that consume very little power. Most cell phones use this type of screen as their main display units. Thin layers of glass with liquid crystals sandwiched between them compose LCD screens, which illuminate via electric charge. The liquid crystalline substances in LCD screens contain small amounts of the toxic element mercury.

Batteries and Power Sources

A Li-Ion battery is used to power this phone and contains elements such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, cadmium, zinc and copper. The included wall-socket charger contains copper wires or small amounts of gold and cadmium in the plastic casings.

Other Materials

Fiberglass or epoxy resin composes the base for the phone’s circuit boards. Copper elements often accent the circuit boards, acting as transistors. According to the Earthworks environmental advocacy organization, cell phones commonly contain substances including lead, mercury, beryllium, arsenic, beryllium, brominated flame retardants, lead, nickel, palladium, silver, tantalum, cadmium and antimony. Though harmless during day-to-day use, some of these materials become toxic when incinerated. This fact, coupled with the massive worldwide use of cell phones, is a good reason for users to recycle their phones after use rather than disposing of them.

Metal Mineral Location

. Arsenic (gallium arsenide in the amplifier and receiver). Mined in China, Chile, Morocco, Peru, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belgium and Mexico.
. Copper (circuitry). Mined in Chile, United States, Peru, China, Australia, Russia, Indonesia, Canada, Zambia, Poland, Kazakhstan and Mexico.
. Gallium (gallium arsenide). Mined in China, Germany, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.
. Gold (circuitry). Mined in China, United States, Australia, South Africa, Peru, Russia, Canada, Uzbekistan, Ghana, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico and Chile.
. Magnesium compounds (phone case). Mined in China, Turkey, North Korea, Russia, Slovakia, Austria, Spain, Australia, Brazil, Greece, India and the United States.
. Palladium (circuitry). Mined in Russia, South Africa, Canada, United States and Zimbabwe.
. Platinum (circuitry). Mined in South Africa, Russia, Canada, Zimbabwe, United States and Colombia.
. Silver (circuitry). Mined in Peru, Mexico, China, Australia, Chile, Russia, United States, Poland, Bolivia and Canada.
. Tungsten (circuitry). Mined in China, Russia, Canada, Austria, Bolivia and Portugal.