A group of rural villagers from Madagascar have launched a legal claim against the UK/Australian mining company Rio Tinto over claims pollution from a nearby mine has caused them to ingest dangerous levels of uranium and lead.
Lead is especially harmful to young children, causing permanent brain damage that can lead to a range of cognitive and behavioural disorders. Exposure to uranium can damage the body's development, particularly in children and pregnant women, as well as increasing cancer rates and damaging kidney function.
In a letter of claim sent to Rio Tinto's London HQ on Tuesday 2 April 2024, Leigh Day says that those people affected by the lead and uranium pollution now urgently need ongoing monitoring of the lead levels in their blood and medical care for high-risk groups such as children and women of child-bearing age.
The Anosy region in southern Madagascar is one of the most ecologically diverse regions in the country, with a population of approximately 500,000 people. The south of Madagascar has particularly high rates of poverty, deepening food insecurity and water scarcity.