In the heart of Zambia, the city of **Kabwe**, capital of the Central Province, has become one of the places with the **highest lead contamination in the world**.
The source of this crisis is a **lead and zinc mine and smelter** that operated during the British colonial period and was officially closed in **1994**, without a proper cleanup being carried out.
Since then, over **6.4 million tons of toxic waste** remain exposed, severely affecting the [health of the population](https://noticiasambientales.com/medio-ambiente/desde-la-cocina-hasta-en-cosmeticos-hasta-donde-llega-la-contaminacion-por-plomo/).
Lead in the air, soil, and blood
**Lead dust** disperses from open dumps into **homes, schools, and gardens**, contaminating everything in its path. It is estimated that **up to 200,000 people** are exposed, and **half of the children** living near the mine require **urgent medical treatment**.
The [UN](https://www.un.org/es/) has classified Kabwe as a **”sacrifice zone”**, where communities face extreme exposure to toxic substances.
Businesses with toxic waste: informal mining and hidden risks
Companies and cooperatives extract lead without controls or **environmental protection**.
Since 2023, various **companies and individuals** have started to **extract and transport lead waste** for processing, generating new pollution hotspots. Piles of dark material appear next to roads and plants without signage or fencing.
The company **Enviro Processing Limited (EPL)**, a subsidiary of **Jubilee Metals Group**, holds the concession for the area known as **Black Mountain**, although it denies authorizing these activities. However, investigations by **Human Rights Watch** reveal that **informal miners** have operated there for years.
Artisanal mining: child labor and extreme exposure
**Small-scale mining**, also known as “waste picking”, is carried out with **minimal resources and no protection**. Children and women work among the waste, exposed to lead levels reaching **60,000 mg/kg**, when the EPA’s dangerous limit in the U.S. is **200 mg/kg**.
Lead, with no safe exposure level, can cause **neurological damage, miscarriage, low birth weight, kidney and cardiovascular diseases**.
Critical minerals for energy transition, but at what cost?
Zinc, lead, and vanadium are key for renewable energies, but their extraction must be responsible.
The Zambian government has declared **zinc and lead from Kabwe as strategic minerals** for the global energy transition.
These metals are essential for **wind turbines, solar, and hydroelectric energy**, but their unregulated extraction **violates human and environmental rights**. Chinese companies such as **Datong Industries, Chengde Mining, and Superdeal Investments** have been accused of buying minerals without addressing the complaints.
Human rights and state obligations
As part of international treaties, Zambia has the duty to **protect its population** by regulating commercial activities.
Companies must also **avoid contributing to human rights violations**, especially in contexts of **historical pollution and child vulnerability**.
