Anglo American face class-action lawsuit over Zambia lead poisoning

Anglo American has just been handed a class-action lawsuit for failing to clean up a lead mine in Zambia that has polluted the surrounding area and resulted in toxic lead poisoning for at least 100,000 people.

The main bulk of the waste has centred around the town of Kabwe, which hosted one of the biggest lead mines in decades.

A WHO investigation in 2019 reported alarming levels of lead in the blood of the townspeople, which has disproportionally contaminated children and women of childbearing age.

In some cases, children had as much as 20 times the US threshold for lead poisoning, which can cause severe brain damage and death according to WHO.

The mine was nationalised in 1974 but was operated by the British mining company for 49 years.

It remained in operation until 1995, by which point most of the pollution had already taken place.

According to the legal documents handed to Anglo American's Johannesburg office, the mining giant had “a duty of care to protect existing and future generations of residents of Kabwe."

The children reportedly absorb four-to-five times more lead than adults, which can have serious ramifications to their learning and physical developments, as well as leading them to develop behavioural and mental health issues as well as an increased chance of developing learning-based disabilities owing to reduced brain development.

Long-term exposure means the effects are irreversible. For women, it also presents an increased chance of miscarriage or infant mortality as the poisoning can be transmitted both through the placenta and breastmilk.

Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of lead poisoning is that fact that it is invisible and soil contaminated with lead shows no visible change. Many of the health impacts of lead poisoning also often go unnoticed.

Leigh Day, the law firm in charge of the suit argue that Anglo American "played a key role in controlling, managing, supervising and advising on medical, technical and safety aspects in the operations of the mine."

The case is being brought by 13 plaintiffs relevant to the case, all Kabwe locals. Some are children suffering from lead poisoning, and others are women facing the ill-effects of lead poisoning on foetal development.

The case is being brought to secure compensation and clean-up costs from Anglo American.

According to the legal documents, two-thrids of all the lead mined at Kabwe was produced during the 50 years the British mining company were at the helm.

Anglo American make their human rights policy very clear on their website. It states: “Where we have caused or contributed to adverse human rights impacts we will contribute to their remediation as appropriate.”

Richard Meeran, a partner with Leigh Day, said: “Unfortunately, it appears that Anglo failed to ensure that sufficient measures were in place.”

“This is a tragic environmental case because of the impact that it has had on such a large number of children, not just now but through the generations. This is unprecedented in that sense.”

The mining company hit back by stating they would "vigorously defend its position."

Zanele Mbuyisa, at law firm Mbuyisa Moleele in Johannesburg, who is also acting for the plaintiffs said that agreed that Anglo American was "a mining giant that has been instrumental in building the economies of various countries."

However, she admitted that the lead poisoning had been apparent in Kabwe's population for decades, with a 1970s study showing high blood lead levels.

She said: “Their operations have caused long-lasting damage to the health of those communities. The very same lead poisoning that was happening at that time is continuing happening now.”

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