Divisions are causing Zambian authorities to fail in addressing the harrowing effects of lead poisoning in Kabwe, a central town where over 95% of children have elevated blood lead levels. Human Rights Watch highlights that mining companies are capitalizing on the shuttered mining site, whose operations have left residents facing severe health issues for decades.

According to the report published on Wednesday, Zambian authorities have been enabling hazardous mining activities by a subsidiary of Anglo American, a multinational mining company. Kabwe, about 150 km (95 miles) from Lusaka, has become one of the most contaminated places in the world due to its history of lead and zinc mining.

More than 200,000 people, primarily women and children, have been exposed to contamination, with the government urged to revoke permits and clean up pollution. As of now, the Zambian government has not responded to the report.

Lead is a highly toxic metal that can cause brain damage and death, particularly in children. More than two-thirds of children living near the Kabwe mine have elevated blood lead levels, requiring urgent treatment. The concentration of lead in the soil is 300 times the level considered hazardous by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Last year, a UN expert added Kabwe to the list of “sacrifice zones,” where pollution and health issues are a norm for nearby communities. Juliane Kippenberg, HRW’s children’s rights director, stated, “The Zambian government should be protecting people from hazardous activities, not enabling them.”

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/5/zambia-governments-neglect-exposing-more-children-to-lead-poison-hrw-says?traffic_source=rss