DRC Mines Might Be Poisoning Pregnant Women

Nov 18, 2024 | Denise Maheho, Dider Makal
View Original

A Mongabay investigation found that industrial and artisanal mining of cobalt and copper in the Democratic Republic of Congo could pose risks to women’s reproductive health. Both cobalt and copper are critical minerals in demand for their essential role in battery-powered technologies, including renewable energy technologies.

We collected testimonies from female residents, healthcare workers, and researchers in Kolwezi, the “world’s cobalt capital” in the south of the country. They highlighted a rising number of cases involving birth defects, stillbirths, infant deaths shortly after birth, and genital infections. Although reports are still unclear about the extent to which contact with mining waste, ores, and contaminated water affects women’s health, preliminary studies are underway.