In the Democratic Republic of Congo, preliminary research suggests that communities near cobalt and copper mining sites are seeing rising reproductive health problems for women, including birth defects, miscarriages and infections. The materials are described as critical for battery technologies. The reporting focuses on Kolwezi in the DRC’s Haut-Katanga province, in the Golf Musonoie area.
Trinité Medical Center near COMMUS copper and cobalt operations
The Trinité Medical Center is located a few kilometers from Kolwezi and about 100 meters from a copper and cobalt mine operated by COMMUS (Compagnie Minière de Musonoïe). COMMUS is described as a subsidiary of the Chinese multinational Zijin Mining. Dust and pollution from ore transport by trucks are reported to settle into nearby homes, including the medical center.
Nurse Julie Nshinda, who runs the center, said that when company guards chase illegal miners, projectiles are sometimes thrown and land near the facility. She linked concerns about women’s health to both pollution and the mine’s proximity to residential areas. Nshinda also described frequent cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), congenital malformations and miscarriages among patients.
The center sees five to 10 women per month with reproductive health complaints. Nshinda said she has witnessed babies born with internal organs protruding from their bellies and with severe brain defects. She also reported threatened miscarriages and premature births, including cases where women arrive in pain and the fetus is already dead.
Mining intensification since 2019 and reported clinical cases
The region’s industrial mining activity is described as accelerating since 2019. Nshinda said that before industrial mining arrived, the center mainly treated illnesses such as malaria, typhoid and simple fevers. After mining intensified, she reported a noticeable increase in reproductive health problems among women of childbearing age.
A week after a visit to the center, Nshinda reported a case of a baby born with its brain protruding from its forehead. She said many women seeking care at Trinité Medical Center expressed concerns about pollution originating from the nearby mine. The account places these observations within ongoing clinical work at the facility.
RAID and AFREWATCH report on potential links to gynecological problems
Research published in March 2024 by UK-based RAID and Congolese NGO AFREWATCH is cited as supporting concerns about mining-related reproductive impacts. Their report is titled “Environmental Impact of Mining in the DRC.” It highlights a potential link between copper and cobalt mining and reproductive health issues.
The report notes that scientific uncertainty remains about the precise effects of contact with mining waste, sulfuric acid and heavy metals. It also states that gynecological and reproductive problems have increased since mining activities intensified in the region. The cited findings focus on observed trends rather than establishing a specific mechanism.
Artisanal mining work near COMMUS and exposure risks
Angèle, a woman in her 40s who has worked in Kolwezi artisanal mines for 16 years, described four successive miscarriages in recent years. She said that when she reaches about three months of pregnancy she experiences abdominal pain followed by loss of the pregnancy. Angèle lives less than one kilometer from the COMMUS industrial mine and believes her artisanal work handling copper and cobalt may be contributing to repeated miscarriages.
The reporting describes many women working in artisanal mining extracting copper and cobalt from residues of large industrial operations such as COMMUS. It says some work involves bare hands in contaminated water, exposing workers to toxic chemicals and metals from mining waste. It also cites the possibility of radiation exposure because artisanal miners handle rocks containing small amounts of uranium and thorium that decay into radioactive elements.
Suzanne Ngwewe supervises women cleaning ore at a site in Kapata, about 20 minutes outside Kolwezi. She said some women report rashes or tickling sensations in their genital areas after working with ores. Ngwewe added that women at the site can spend up to 10 hours per day in water cleaning ore without proper protection related to potential radiation exposure.
Toxicology findings on river acidification and government suspension over radioactivity
Preliminary research from the University of Lubumbashi’s toxicology department is cited as supporting observations from local medical care. Célestin Banza Lubaba, director of the department, said industrial pollution in local rivers contributes to water acidification that could be linked to reproductive health issues. He noted that further analyses are underway while initial results suggest an association between mining activity and health outcomes for local women.
In April 2024, the DRC government temporarily suspended operations at the COMMUS mine due to suspicions of high radioactivity in extracted ores. The suspension was lifted one month later. The reporting presents this sequence as raising questions about long-term health risks associated with mining activity in the region.
Scale of industrial activity across Kolwezi
The accounts describe both industrial and artisanal mining continuing to expand in Kolwezi and other parts of the DRC. Women living near mines are described as reporting reproductive health complaints alongside concerns about dust, pollution and proximity to operations. The material links these observations to copper and cobalt extraction used for battery technologies.
The reporting emphasizes that community-level impacts are reflected through clinical caseloads at Trinité Medical Center and through testimonies from artisanal miners working near COMMUS operations. It also ties research findings to environmental pathways discussed by RAID, AFREWATCH and university toxicology work. The focus remains on documented reports of symptoms including STIs, congenital malformations, miscarriages and infections among women seeking care.