House of Lords event: does Anglo American need to be held accountable for lead pollution in Kabwe?

On Tuesday 29 October, ACTSA and Lord Peter Hain hosted an event in the House of Lords, in which a panel of regional, health, and legal experts discussed the impacts of lead pollution in Kabwe, one of the world’s most toxic towns, where Anglo American operated one of the world’s most productive lead mines for almost 50 years. You can find a live tweet of the event here.

A class action suit has been filed in South Africa against Anglo American South Africa on behalf of around 140,000 women and children in Kabwe who are alleging harm from lead poisoning caused by Anglo American’s historic mining operations (more information on the court case in the notes).

The panel discussed the serious health impacts and implications of lead poisoning, especially on children, Anglo American’s role in contributing to the lead contamination in Kabwe, what everyday life is like in one of the world’s most polluted towns, and the legal case itself – including Anglo’s defence of acting within the ‘standards of the time’. The discussions will also cover the gap between the lack of accountability and responsibility being taken by Anglo American and the commitments it has made to international human rights guidelines on remediation for adverse impacts on human rights and the environment.

In this discussion hosted by Lord Hain, speakers included:

• • Barry Mulimba, resident and community leader from Kabwe
  • Dr Stephan Böse-O’Reilly, environmental health expert at the University Hospital Munich
  • Richard Meeran, Partner at Leigh Day, who are working with Mbuyisa Moleele Attorneys, the South African Law Firm bringing the case

An open letter signed by 26 civil society organisation from the UK and worldwide was handed in to Anglo American HQ in London by Barry Mulimba the next day.

For latest updates on the campaign, click here.