Ignoring the Zambian government by exposing more children to poisoning, says HRW | Environmental news
The report says more than 95 percent of children in the Cabwe Cynical Town had an elevated level of lead in their blood.
The failure of the Government of Zambi to intervene against the “violation of the Environmental Law” exacerbates the exposure of a large number of children to severe health risks, mainly to the lead, on a closed miner in the central region of the country, warns a new report.
The Human Rights Watch report reported on Wednesday states that Zambia allows South African, Chinese and domestic mining companies to continue working in the town of Kabwe, contaminated by a lead, where residents already go beyond the decade of toxic exposure to Lead.
Kabwe, about 150 km (95 miles) north of the capital of Lusaka, is one of the most polluted places in the world after a decade of the mining of lead and zinc.
“Companies profit in the mob, removal and processing of lead waste to the detriment of children’s health,” said HRW Children’s Rights Director Juliane Kippenberg, adding that more than 95 percent of children had elevated blood levels in the area.
The Kabwe Mine was closed in 1994, but the Government still “facilitates dangerous mining and processing” in the area of the multinational mining company in the area Anglo AmericanHrw said in his 67 -page report, leaving about 6.4 million tons of leading lead waste on deposits.
Nearly 200,000 people, many women and children, are exposed to pollution, the Rights Group said, urging the government to recall the licenses of mining companies and to clean the danger of pollution.
The Government of Zambi has not yet responded to the report.
Extremely sought after industry, the lead is still special toxic metal This can cause severe health problems, including brain damage and death, especially in children, according to the World Health Organization.
More than 95 percent of the children living near the Kabwe Mine had elevated blood lead levels, and about half required urgent treatment, according to the HRW report.
The concentration of lead in the soil reached 60,000 mg per kg (0.95oz per LB), according to the report, 300 times higher than the threshold that the United States considered the danger of the Environmental Protection Agency.
In 2022, the UN expert cited Kabwe as among the so -called “sacrifice zones” where pollution and resulting health issues were the norm for nearby community.
“The Zambian government should protect people from very dangerous activities, not allowing them,” Kippenberg said.
