This project's goal is to assess the environmental and health impacts of large-scale copper and cobalt mining.
This project investigates the environmental and public health impacts of large-scale copper and cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a region that supplies the majority of the world’s cobalt used in electric vehicle batteries. This initiative is carried out in collaboration with RAID, Afrewatch, and the University of Lubumbashi.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is the world’s largest producer of cobalt, supplying roughly three quarters of global production. Cobalt is an essential component of lithium-ion batteries, which are used in electric vehicles and electronic devices.As the demand for cobalt continues to grow with the global energy transition, mining activities in the country’s Copper-Cobalt Belt – and particularly in Kolwezi and surrounding regions – have rapidly expanded over the last 15 years. While the scientific community is working to identify sustainable alternatives to cobalt in batteries, its demand is expected to remain high in the medium term.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is the world’s largest producer of cobalt, supplying roughly three quarters of global production. Cobalt is an essential component of lithium-ion batteries, which are used in electric vehicles and electronic devices.
As the demand for cobalt continues to grow with the global energy transition, mining activities in the country’s Copper-Cobalt Belt – and particularly in Kolwezi and surrounding regions – have rapidly expanded over the last 15 years. While the scientific community is working to identify sustainable alternatives to cobalt in batteries, its demand is expected to remain high in the medium term.
Photo taken by Flaviano Bianchini during the first campaign.
In 2025, Source International joined forces with RAID, Afrewatch, and the University of Lubumbashi to strengthen the evidence base on environmental pollution in the Copper–Cobalt Belt. During the first joint campaign (October 2025), we focused on air monitoring, a topic that has been overlooked by previous publicly available studies. We also collected water and sediment samples to complement the campaign from the University of Lubumbashi.We worked across several communities, including Kolwezi, the Mutshatsha Territory, and Fungurume.
In June 2026, Source International, RAID, AFREWATCH and researchers from the University of Lubumbashi published four independent scientific reports documenting widespread pollution in air, water and sediments around large-scale copper and cobalt mines in Lualaba Province.
Source International’s air quality assessment provides, to the researchers’ knowledge, the first independent measurement of particulate matter pollution in the region. At every monitored site, daily concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 exceeded World Health Organization guidelines. In some locations, PM2.5 levels were more than six times above the WHO daily limit, and 98% of hourly measurements were above health-based guidelines.
The dust samples analysed by Source International showed a consistent chemical signature of cobalt, copper and manganese, pointing strongly to industrial mining residues as the primary source of pollution. Other possible sources, including traffic, domestic burning and artisanal mining, were assessed and considered unlikely to be the main contributors.
The water and sediment studies also documented serious contamination. Across rivers, lakes, wells and sediments, researchers found elevated concentrations of copper, cobalt, manganese, arsenic, lead and uranium. In some cases, metal concentrations exceeded international environmental standards. One community water well in Kolwezi, located close to a tailings storage facility, was found to be 100 times more acidic than recommended, with manganese and aluminium concentrations up to 14 times above health-based limits
One of the most concerning findings concerns the Galaxy School in Kolwezi, located less than 500 metres from a large mining waste dump linked to COMMUS operations.
The school recorded some of the highest pollution levels in Source International’s air quality study. PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations exceeded WHO guidelines, while chemical analysis of the dust found elevated concentrations of cobalt and copper. Children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution because their lungs are still developing and they breathe more rapidly than adults.
The Galaxy School was the only educational facility included in the study, but it is not the only school located near mining operations in Kolwezi and Fungurume. Its case highlights a broader risk: children in mining-affected communities are growing up in environments where exposure to toxic dust and contaminated water may be part of daily life.
The scientific findings confirm what communities have been reporting for years. Testimonies collected by RAID and AFREWATCH from more than 150 residents and medical staff describe contaminated water, choking dust, declining fish populations, failing crops and worsening health.
Residents living near mining operations report persistent coughing, nosebleeds, eye irritation and headaches, with symptoms worsening during the dry season. Women describe miscarriages, menstrual disruption and reproductive health problems they associate with pollution. Local medical professionals also report seeing cases that may be linked to air pollution.
While the scientific studies did not directly measure health outcomes, the consistency between environmental data, community testimony and clinical observations points to the urgent need for an independent epidemiological health assessment.
The minerals extracted in the DRC’s Copper-Cobalt Belt do not remain in the country. They enter global supply chains and are used in electric vehicle batteries, renewable energy infrastructure, electronics, defence industries and, increasingly, the data centres powering artificial intelligence.
The energy transition cannot be considered clean if it is built on polluted rivers, toxic dust and communities left without access to safe water or adequate health protection. Responsible supply chains require transparent monitoring, meaningful engagement with affected communities, independent health assessments and concrete action to prevent and remedy harm.
Together with RAID and AFREWATCH, Source International is calling on mining companies to fund an urgent, independent health assessment of affected communities, publish their environmental monitoring data, and take immediate action to reduce dust and effluent at source.
Mining companies should make their Environmental and Social Impact Assessments publicly available, provide clean water to communities whose sources have been contaminated, and implement credible pollution reduction and remediation plans. The DRC government should enforce existing environmental law, including the “polluter pays” principle, and ensure that no new permits or expansions are approved for operations that have not demonstrated compliance with environmental obligations.
Downstream companies, investors and financial institutions connected to cobalt and copper supply chains must use their leverage to ensure that the harms documented in these reports are addressed. Due diligence cannot be fulfilled by audits alone: it requires transparent data, community participation and measurable improvements over time.
The scientific reports with the results of the analysis we performed on air quality, soil, water and sediment samples, are available for download here.
