1906 to 1994; artisanal mining continues to present
Owner
Company
Anglo American plc; Zambian government
Local impacts
Pollution
Lead poisoning
Impacted
hundreds of thousands of people
The Kabwe mine or Broken Hill mine is a former lead smelting and mining site near Kabwe, Zambia, that operated from 1906 to 1994. At its peak, between 1925 and 1974, it was owned by Anglo American plc and was Africa's largest lead producer.[1] The mine produced extremely toxic lead pollution for ninety years. Several studies have confirmed that over 100,000 people near the mine, including tens of thousands of children, suffer from lead poisoning.[2][3] Kabwe is one of the world's most polluted towns.[1]
In 1921, a "bone cave" that included a fossilised human skull called Kabwe 1 was discovered in the mine. This fossil was the first remains of an extinct human relative to be found in Africa. The skull was studied by Arthur Smith Woodward of the British Museum of Natural History, who published a paper naming the new human precursor Homo rhodesiensis. Study of the Kabwe skull has had important implications for understanding of human evolution and prehistory.[4]
The mine was privatised and closed by the Zambian government in 1995. In 2021, there were still about five million tons of mine tailings on the site, and the Zambian government had licensed reprocessing of this waste and further mining by the South African company Jubilee Metals. The area is also mined by artisanal miners. All of these activities pose ongoing health risks for local communities by releasing additional lead.[5]
In July 2021, UN special rapporteurs urged the Zambian government to remediate the toxic site. Human rights and environmental organisations also urged the government to address the pollution and resulting health problems in local communities.[3] A lawsuit against Anglo American concerning the pollution was ongoing in South Africa in 2023.
^ abCarrington, Damian (28 May 2017). "The world's most toxic town: the terrible legacy of Zambia's lead mines". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
^"Mining giant and Kabwe locals square off in class-action lawsuit over lead mine". LifeGate. 8 February 2023. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
^ ab"Zambia: Tackle Lead Poisoning at Former Mine". Human Rights Watch. 27 July 2021. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
^Davis, Josh (1 April 2020). "Dating the Broken Hill skull: Homo heidelbergensis was younger than we thought". Natural History Museum. Archived from the original on 4 April 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
^Yabe, John; Nakayama, Shouta M. M.; Ikenaka, Yoshinori; et al. (January 2015). "Lead poisoning in children from townships in the vicinity of a lead-zinc mine in Kabwe, Zambia". Chemosphere. 119: 941–947. Bibcode:2015Chmsp.119..941Y. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.09.028. hdl:2115/58817. ISSN 1879-1298. PMID 25303652. S2CID 4574262.
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Kabwe is the capital of the Zambian Central Province and the Kabwe District, with a population estimated at 202,914 at the 2010 census. Named Broken Hill...
mine is located. In October 2020, Anglo American was accused of being responsible for lead poisoning in possibly over 100,000 people near Kabwemine,...
heidelbergensis. The cranium was discovered in Broken Hill mine, a lead and zinc mine in Northern Rhodesia (now Kabwe, Zambia) on 17 June 1921 by Tom Zwiglaar, a Swiss...
capacity from 300 to 600MW. Broken Hill Lead-Zinc Mine, in Kabwe, Central Province. Kabwemine: lead mine operating from 1906 to 1994, leaving a legacy of...
classify Kabwe 1 (the "Kabwe skull" or "Broken Hill skull", also "Rhodesian Man"), a Middle Stone Age fossil recovered from Broken Hill mine in Kabwe, Northern...
1925 and 1975, Kabwemine was the largest lead mine in Africa. The mine was shut down in 1994, leaving a legacy of toxic waste. Kabwe may be the most...
(58.9 kg; 9 st 3.8 lb), i.e. super featherweight, he died of malaria in KabweMine Hospital. Charm Chiteule was the President of the Zambia Boxing Federation...
were replaced by a culture associated with Homo rhodesiensis found at Kabwemine, the Sangoan culture. Evidence of Sangoan habitation has been collected...
glassy, pastel yellow-green parahopeite crystals. Locality: KabweMine (Broken Hill Mine), Kabwe, Central Province, Zambia. Broken Hill is the type locality...
Zn2(PO4)(OH). Tarbuttite was discovered in 1907 in Broken Hill mine, Northern Rhodesia, (now Kabwe, Zambia). The mineral was described from specimens in cellular...
Simutowe, as Chitalu got 41 goals. In 1971, Chitalu moved to Kabwe with the intention of joining Kabwe Warriors. At first, Kitwe United tried to pour water on...
electricity to Lumwana Mine, parts of Solwezi and Kalumbila Mine in the North-Western Province of Zambia. Kamanga first served as Kabwe Warriors Committee...
maturing. If so, the individual from the Berg Aukas Mine would probably have had proportions similar to Kabwe 1. The human body plan had evolved in H. ergaster...
future Edward VIII) to provide hydroelectric power to the Broken Hill Mine in Kabwe (known as Broken Hill at that time). It is a sister facility to the...
cinematograph displays". There was, however, a weekly showing for workers at the Kabwemine (then known as Broken Hill). The American board of missions, and Johannesburg...
and flows south. It is used to generate hydroelectric power for the Kabwemines through the Mita Hills Dam, built in the 1950s with a reservoir about...
Province to the east, Kasempa and North-Western Province to the north and Kabwe to the north-east. It is known for its cotton and has a ginnery. The Zambia...
Copper Mines in 2008. The university consists of three campuses: the Main Campus, or Great North Road Campus, located 26 kilometers North of Kabwe on the...
the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught Broken Hill Mine, Kabwe — one of the first mines in Zambia (1906) and site of the Broken Hill Man fossil find...
Victoria Falls border to Chingola via Livingstone, Choma, Mazabuka, Lusaka, Kabwe, Kapiri Mposhi, Ndola and Kitwe for freight services. Passenger services...
Southwood, Bruce Cairncross & Mike S. Rumsey (2019). "Minerals of the Kabwe ("Broken Hill") Mine, Central Province, Zambia, Rocks & Minerals". Rocks & Minerals...
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