Editing Columbite (section)

== Artisanal and small scale mining ==
[[Artisanal mining|Artisanal]] and small-scale mining provides jobs for millions of people but typically has negative impacts to human health and the environment.<ref name=":9">{{Cite journal |last1=Akiwumi |first1=Fenda A. |last2=Hollist |first2=Arthur O. |date=April 2016 |title=The new kid on the old block: Coltan, conflict-prone minerals, and post-war reconstruction in Sierra Leone |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2214790X15000945 |journal=The Extractive Industries and Society |language=en |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=316–319 |doi=10.1016/j.exis.2015.06.002|bibcode=2016ExIS....3..316A }}</ref> This type of mining is executed by small groups of people, typically under a larger mining cooperation, with simple extraction equipment.<ref name=":10">{{Cite journal |last1=Rodríguez-Novoa |first1=Felipe |last2=Holley |first2=Elizabeth |date=January 2023 |title=Coexistence between large-scale mining (LSM) and artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in Perú and Colombia |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2022.103162 |journal=Resources Policy |volume=80 |pages=103162 |doi=10.1016/j.resourpol.2022.103162 |bibcode=2023RePol..8003162R |issn=0301-4207}}</ref> This simple extraction equipment can include [[Pickaxe|pickaxes]], [[Shovel|shovels]], basins, and minimal [[Heavy equipment|heavy machinery]].<ref name=":10" /> [[Coltan]], the tantalum dominant species of columbite, is often mined artisanally due to its vast applications in electronics.<ref>{{Citation |title=Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining |date=2016-12-05 |work=Breaking New Ground |pages=313–334 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781315541501-17 |access-date=2024-04-06 |publisher=Routledge |doi=10.4324/9781315541501-17 |isbn=978-1-315-54150-1}}</ref> [[Artisanal mining|Artisanal]] and small-scale mining of materials are common in regions such as Africa, Asia, Oceania, Central American, and South America.<ref name=":10" /> While this type of mining is important for local economies and livelihood, it is often unregulated, which leads to [[illegal mining]] and unsafe working conditions. Due to unregulated conditions, the mistreatment of artisanal miners, violence, illegal trading, and sometimes [[child labour]] can occur.<ref name=":10" /> In addition, long term health effects are common when mining coltan, due to the presence of radioactive material within the mineral.<ref name=":9" /> In countries such as Sierra Leone, Liberia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, lucrative trading of minerals, such as coltan, has occurred due to lack of state control of [[Artisanal mining|artisanal]] and small-scale mining in the region.<ref name=":10" />