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Elements

Factual: Science & Nature

Chemical elements: where do we get them and how do they fit into our economy?

A close look at chemical elements, the basic building blocks of the universe. Where do we get them, what do we use them for and how do they fit into our economy?

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Elements: 14/11/2015 22:06 GMT: Cobalt

14/11/2015 22:06 GMT

14/11/2015 22:06 GMT: Cobalt

Cobalt

BBC World Service - Elements, Cobalt

The metal in magnets and phone batteries - but is some of it being mined by children?

This niche metal is used to make magnets, phone batteries and the colour blue. But how do magnets work and where are they used? And is this key ingredient being mined by children?

Cobalt is a pricey metal used to make magnets, phone batteries and of course the colour blue. But what exactly are magnets, how do they work and where are they used? And is some of the cobalt in them being mined by children? 
Presenter Laurence Knight hears from chemistry professor Andrea Sella of University College London why a permanent magnet is like a flock of birds. He travels to Arnold Magnetics near Sheffield where manager Martin Satyr explains how magnets are used in everything from recycling the heat from sports car engines to recycling your trash. 

Also, Mark Dummett of Amnesty International, back from Katanga in southern Congo - source of half the world's cobalt - tells of his concerns about the conditions in which artisanal miners work, including children. And, David Weight of the Cobalt Development Institute explains what the industry is doing to ensure it knows where its cobalt is coming from.

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14/11/2015 22:06 GMT: Cobalt

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