A hearing to decide whether 140,000 women and children from Zambia can file a class action lawsuit against the mining corporation Anglo-American is currently underway in the High Court of South Africa.
Residents of the town of Kabwe, the alleged victims, assert that after nearly 50 years of metal mining and smelting operations by the company, they have experienced extremely high levels of lead pollution.
They contend that children living in one of the world’s most polluted areas have suffered serious brain damage.
A study in 2020 found average levels of lead in the blood to be nine times above internationally accepted thresholds.
Anglo-American contests the claim, which it calls opportunistic. It says it’s not responsible for lead poisoning.
A hearing late last year ruled that UN experts could play a role in court proceedings.