Let’s Talk About Lithium!

Lithium is a soft silvery metal that is commonly used in batteries. Lithium is very highly reactive and reacts in water and fire. When you place lithium in water, it releases so much hydrogen gas. When lit up, it would be so bright that it could light up an entire house! It even starts reacting immediately when it makes contact with the air. Lithium is very important in a battery because it gives the batteries a cathode and electrons to power the battery. But, lithium batteries are very deadly as well! They could cause many poisonings and illnesses in a human being and can kill people. Let’s now learn about how Lithium is harvested!

Lithium and many other chemicals like cobalt are found in Africa! Zimbabwe is the only country that produces the most lithium. Since Africa lives in extreme poverty and workers don’t make enough for a living, they can’t afford fancy TNT or bombs to mine for the Lithium. Instead, they spend months or even years digging holes to find the lithium. They also have to drink dirty water as their main drink. This is not only harmful to the environment but also to all of us. Lithium can react and harm a person, especially in Africa as the workers don’t even have protection. This is how lithium is mined in Zimbabwe. But in other rich countries, they use bombs and TNT to blow up the surface to reach the lithium. This can kill many trees and produce shockwaves which could kill animals.

So, I encourage all of you to become environmentalists and save our mother earth before it is too late. Stop mining and recycle old Lithium and Lithium-Ion Batteries. By recycling, we can reuse the components to make Mother Earth a better place to live. This will help our future generations to enjoy their life on Earth.

Author: Sri Nihal Tammana