Environment, health and safety

Which set correctly names the minerals (3TG) whose sourcing must be checked in electronics supply chains so they do not fund armed groups in conflict areas?

  1. AIron, copper, aluminum and zinc
  2. BSilicon, germanium, gallium and arsenic
  3. CTin, tantalum, tungsten and gold
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Answer: C. Tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold

Tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries are called conflict minerals because they have funded armed groups. They are used in semiconductors too, in solder (tin), capacitors (tantalum), wiring and contacts (tungsten) and bonding wire (gold), so companies trace their sources back to the smelters.

  • A. These are not 3TG.
  • B. These are semiconductor materials, not 3TG.
  • C. Correct. They are called 3TG from their English initials.
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