Cyril Traore Ndembi, a father of four living in the Republic of Congo, thought help would come for his youngest son, Sylphani.
More than a year ago, in December 2024, the country’s environment minister shut down a battery recycling facility near Ndembi’s home, which spewed lead into the air, contaminated the soil and poisoned Shilfani and other neighbors. The minister ordered the factory’s operator, Messa Congo, to pay approximately $18,000 in cleaning and medical costs to the community.
The World Health Organization, which classifies lead as one of the top 10 chemicals of public health concern, also offered to help. The organization’s country representative told Ndembi in a letter that the WHO would work with the government to “take appropriate measures”.
Ndembi, Fofani Babuka Essu and her daughter Sylphani sit outside Ndembi’s house in Vinduru. Tests commissioned in 2023 found harmful levels of lead in blood samples taken from family members and other residents.Photo by Daniel Bellomou Oromo for exam
That was the last that Ndembi and his neighbors heard from authorities about the factory that poisoned the town of Vindur.
They have not seen the amount the government has ordered Messa Congo to pay. The factory was dismantled, but no one followed up on inspections, treated the victims, or removed the contaminated soil. There has been no further communication from WHO.
“It’s as if nothing happened,” Ndembi said. “It’s really frustrating to deal with leaders who don’t understand the risks faced by their fellow citizens with lead poisoning.”
The inspection has been reporting on the community of Vindur since 2023. initial investigationrequested blood tests for 10 volunteers. All, including the four children, suffered from lead poisoning.
Sylfany’s blood lead level was 53.4 micrograms per deciliter when tested several months ago as part of another analysis organized by Ndembi. At that level, international standards recommend hospitalization for lead removal. Lifelong brain damage is almost certain.
The test, in collaboration with experts, tested blood lead levels in residents living near Messa Congo’s factory in Bindur. All those tested exceeded the World Health Organization threshold.Photo credit: Will Fitzgibbon
Many countries, including the Republic of Congo, have laws and policies that require companies responsible for pollution to pay for cleanup. But in much of Africa, that rarely happens. This includes the Republic of Congo, which has been ruled by a dictatorship for more than 40 years.
In Africa, there are several examples of successful cleanup of contaminated sites led by nonprofit environmental organizations.
Messa Congo is no longer open. The former owner, Arun Goswami, was missing. Mr. Gosmay previously denied that the factory was responsible for the lead poisoning, saying it was operated in accordance with international standards and with approval from the Congolese government.
Arlette Soudan-Nonou, the Republic of Congo’s environment minister who visited Bindulu and ordered Messa Congo to pay for the blood tests and treatment, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Vincent Dessou Soginou, the WHO’s representative in the Republic of Congo, said in an interview that he met with Congolese officials in January and agreed to set up three study groups. One to test people for lead, another to test soil and water, and a third to determine whether lead has contaminated plants or livestock.
“The first step is to conduct a health assessment,” Soginow said. “As soon as we get the results, we can take action.” Soginow said there are no plans for action and that he does not expect testing to take place right away. “This country has been in a financial crisis since 2014,” he said by way of explanation.
Sojnow said that while the WHO does not often provide direct medical or financial support when poisonings are detected in the community, in this case it was ready to accept and coordinate external financial support. “If we find a partner who says, ‘We want to give money to Congo, but we want to go through the WHO,’ we can do that,” Soginou said.
Bindur is not the only African community dealing with the legacy of pollution from lead battery recycling. In collaboration with local journalists, inspections have identified contaminated factories in Cameroon, Tanzania, Ghana, Togo and other countries.
In Nigeria, this was revealed by a group of journalists including leading newspapers Premium Times and New York Times. Lead poisoning occurs among residents living near a factory that shipped recycled lead to the United States. In response, authorities conducted hundreds of blood tests and tested about 200 soil, air and water samples. Officials are now trying to figure out how much polluting factories will pay to clean up Ogijo, Africa’s lead recycling capital.
In Binduru, a town of about 9,000 people, cleaning is the most urgent need, experts said.
When workers demolished the factory last year, they took away the roof and some equipment. However, the structure remains, along with contaminated soil from the factory and surrounding area. Children are most at risk because they can ingest lead particles from dirt and dust while playing outside.
“Lead does not decay, decompose, or transform into other elements over time,” says Esmond Wisdom Quansah, Africa regional program director for Pure Earth, a nonprofit organization that cleans up hazardous areas. “This means the risk remains for generations unless remediated or cleaned up.”
Quansah said it was difficult to estimate the cost of making Bindur safe without conducting a site survey, but said previous efforts in the area have cost between $60,000 and $120,000.
Children playing soccer near the Messa Congo factory in 2023. The factory has since been shut down, but no one is testing the soil or water or providing medical care to residents.Photo by Daniel Bellomou Oromo for exam
Sylfany has lived for years in her family’s concrete block home a few meters from the factory wall and still plays in the front yard. Ndembi said she recently moved with her mother a few blocks away. Neighborhood children walk through the courtyard of a local elementary school and kick up dust as they score goals on a nearby soccer field.
“Closing the factory is a good step,” Quansah said. “But the environmental dangers don’t end there.”
