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    Sustainability of artisanal mining of cobalt in DR Congo

    Authors
    Banza Lubala Nkulu, C.
    Casas, L.
    Haufroid, V.
    De Putter, Th.
    Saenen, N.
    Kayembe Kitenge, T.
    Musa Obadia, P.
    Kyanika wa Mukoma, D.
    Lunda Ilunga, J.-M.
    Nawrot, T.S.
    Luboya Numbi, O.
    Smolders, E.
    Nemery, B.
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    Discipline
    Earth and related Environmental sciences
    Subject
    Geodynamics and mineral resources
    Audience
    Scientific
    Date
    2018
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Description
    The sustainability of cobalt is an important emerging issue because this critical base metal is an essential component of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. More than half of the world s cobalt mine production comes from the Katanga Copperbelt in DR Congo, with a substantial proportion (estimated at 15 20%) being extracted by artisanal miners. Here we show, in a case study performed in the town of Kolwezi, that people living in a neighbourhood that had been transformed into an artisanal cobalt mine had much higher levels of cobalt in their urine and blood than people living in a nearby control area. The differences were most pronounced for children, in whom we also found evidence of exposure-related oxidative DNA damage. It was already known that industrial mining and processing of metals has led to severe environmental pollution in the region. This field study provides novel and robust empirical evidence that the artisanal extraction of cobalt that prevails in the DR Congo may cause toxic harm to vulnerable communities. This strengthens the conclusion that the currently existing cobalt supply chain is not sustainable.
    Citation
    Banza Lubala Nkulu, C.; Casas, L.; Haufroid, V.; De Putter, Th.; Saenen, N.; Kayembe Kitenge, T.; Musa Obadia, P.; Kyanika wa Mukoma, D.; Lunda Ilunga, J.-M.; Nawrot, T.S.; Luboya Numbi, O.; Smolders, E.; Nemery, B. (2018). Sustainability of artisanal mining of cobalt in DR Congo. , Nature Sustainability, Vol. september 2018, DOI: 10.1038/s41893-018-0139-4.
    Identifiers
    uri: https://orfeo.belnet.be/handle/internal/12234
    doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0139-4
    Type
    Article
    Peer-Review
    Yes
    Language
    eng
    Links
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