Lead Poisoning

In News

• High levels of lead were found in the blood of thousands of children living around the Kabwe mine in Zambia.

About Kabwe

• Location: Kabwe is located about 150 kilometers north of the country’s capital Lusaka. Kabwe is the capital of the Zambian Central Province.
• Named Broken Hill until 1966: it was founded when lead and zinc deposits were discovered in 1902.
• It is an important transportation, farming and university centre: Kabwe is becoming a major Agricultural hub for the country.

Lead Poisoning

• Lead is a highly toxic metal and a very strong poison: Lead poisoning is a serious and sometimes fatal condition. It occurs when lead builds up in the body.
• Source: Lead is a metal that occurs naturally in the earth’s crust, but human activity such as mining, burning fossil fuels and manufacturing has caused it to become more widespread.
  • Lead was also once used in paint and gasoline and is still used in batteries, solder, pipes, pottery, roofing materials and some cosmetics.
• Vulnerability: Lead poisoning usually occurs over a period of months or years. It can cause severe mental and physical impairment. Young children are most vulnerable.
  • Lead is more harmful to children because their brains and nervous systems are still developing.
• Treatment: Lead poisoning can be treated, but any damage caused cannot be reversed.

Major challenges associated with Kabwe mine and Zambia 

• Rampant mining: In 1902, rich deposits of lead were discovered. From 1906, mining and smelting operations ran unchecked for almost 90 years, without the Zambian government addressing the dangers of the mineral.
• Smelting was largely unregulated throughout the 20th century in Kabwe and released heavy metals in the form of dust particles, which settled on the ground in the surrounding areas.
• The culprit: The mine was under Anglo American from 1925-1974, when the largest quantity of lead was extracted. The company was responsible for supervising and ensuring safety. It failed to take adequate steps to prevent lead poisoning of the local population.
• Extensive damage: Kabwe was listed among the top 10 most-polluted sites worldwide in a 2013 report by the Blacksmith Institute, an international non-profit.
  • Studies have shown that the soil in the townships surrounding the Kabwe mine has concentrations of lead more than 150 times higher than the relevant international standards of 400 milligram per kilogram.
• Children are most vulnerable to lead poisoning because their bodies and brains are still developing: Children under five years of age are estimated to have massively elevated blood lead levels, mainly through ingestion of dust contaminated by emissions from the lead mine smelter and waste dumps.
• The local population has been suffering lead poisoning for generations and it may have caused cognitive impairment in many.
• Lead in the blood is absorbed into the bones and is released during pregnancy: The mineral enters the placenta, causing harm to the unborn child. The contamination is a major health hazard for women of child-bearing age.
• There are no safe levels of lead in the body: Mental impairment can occur due to the presence of five micrograms of lead per decilitre (mcg/dL) of blood.
  • In some areas of Kabwe, all children under seven have been found with above 5 mCG/dL of lead blood level. Around 50 per cent children had levels greater than 45mCg/dL and many had above 100 mCg/dL.
• Class actions are lawsuits that are filed by a group of people affected by the same problem.
  • Zambia doesn’t have class actions, and justice has been denied to the victims for 50 years.

Way forward

• The aim is to provide compensation to victims for an effective medical monitoring system of the blood lead levels, clean-up and remediation.  
• Zambia’s next government should urgently clean up lead pollution that has affected the health of tens of thousands of children and adults.

Source: DTE