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A. 42,719 lbs.
Q. The amount of minerals and energy fuels needed per person to
maintain their standard of living in the U.S. This means that,
on average, each person needs 3.3 million lbs. over their entire
life!
A. 250 million lbs.
Q. The approximate amount of minerals and metals required to
build the average American home.
A. 85,000 tons
Q. The amount of aggregates required per mile to maintain
and repair American interstate highways each year.
A. 89%
Q. Amount of electricity in the U.S. requiring the use of mined
fuels. (49% coal; 21% natural gas; 19% nuclear power; 6% hydro;
5% petroleum, wood, wind, solar, other gasses, geothermal, and
other sources)
A. 1.1 billion
Q. Number of cell phones sold worldwide in 2007 (each requires
$1 of gold and 42 other minerals and metals).
Everyday Items that Require Mining:
| toothpaste |
hair dryers |
| curling irons |
vehicles (50 lbs. of copper on
average) |
| computers |
blackboards |
| cell phones |
phones |
| televisions (33 minerals) |
household appliances
(refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, etc.) |
| CD's, DVD's |
video games |
| electrical wiring |
telephone wiring |
| animal feed |
fertilizer |
| clocks |
light fixtures |
| lamps |
heating & air conditioning
tubing |
| roofing |
bridges |
| skyscrapers |
cargo ships |
| railroad systems |
plastics |
| tar |
synthetic fibers |
| medicines |
air conditioners |
* Door knobs made with copper & copper alloy
protect disease transfer because copper is biostatic.
* Gold-coated lasers are used for
patients with once inoperable heart conditions and tumors.
* Gold-coated thermometers are used to
detect accurate body temperatures of babies and unconscious
patients
* Lightweight lasers with gold-plated
mirrors enable medics to seal battle wounds in the field to
reduce blood loss and improve survival chances for the seriously
wounded and, when used in hospitals, allow lasers to be brought
to critically injured emergency patients without moving them,
saving precious moments-and lives.
* Airbags have gold-coated contacts and
electronic sensors for dependability.
* Gold is used with nickel to bond
compressor vanes in the huge turbines of commercial jetliners,
enabling them to withstand exhaust temperatures of more than
1150 degrees Fahrenheit.
* A thin transparent film of gold helps keep
the pilot's windshield clear to withstand subfreezing
temperatures, which would dramatically reduce cockpit
visibility.
* 28 million automobiles and light trucks
built over the past four years in North America have
factory-installed, life-saving anti-lock braking systems. Of all
the materials available in the world, only gold contacts can
help achieve the minimum 10-year or 150,000 mile design standard
for these safety systems, because of gold's unique resistance to
extreme weather conditions.
* Gold does not corrode, crumble, or
tarnish, and it is unaffected by moisture, oxygen or most acids,
whatever the conditions. No other metal is as dependable as gold
and it is virtually indestructible!
Sources:
www.nma.org; www.mii.org
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