- In the Democratic Republic of Congo, industrial and artisanal mining of cobalt and copper, essential for battery-powered technologies, poses risks to the reproductive health of women, preliminary research suggests.
- Sources in the Golf Musonoie region of Kolwezi, the “world’s cobalt capital,” highlight a rising number of cases involving birth defects , stillbirths, infant deaths shortly after birth, and infections.
- The scientific community doesn’t yet know to what extent the extraction process affects reproductive health, but suspects include the radioactive uranium found in ores, as well as the pollution from mining waste and chemicals in the water.
- Mongabay investigated and collected testimonies from women residents in the affected regions.
LUBUMBASHI, Democratic Republic of Congo — Our investigation begins at the Trinité Medical Center, less…
