Abstract
Abstract
Background
The African continent hosts many industrial mining projects, and many more are planned due to recent prospecting discoveries and increasing demand for various minerals to promote a low-carbon future. The extraction of natural resources in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) represents an opportunity for economic development but also poses a threat to population health through rapid urbanisation and environmental degradation. Children could benefit from improved economic growth through various channels such as access to high-quality food, better sanitation, and clean water. However, mining can increase food insecurity and trigger local competition over safe drinking water. Child health can be threatened by exposure to mining-related air, noise, and water pollution. To assess the impact of mines on child health, we analyse socio-demographic, health, and mining data before and after several mining projects were commissioned in SSA.
Results
Data of 90,951 children living around 81 mining sites in 23 countries in SSA were analysed for child mortality indicators, and 79,962 children from 59 mining areas in 18 SSA countries were analysed for diarrhoea, cough, and anthropometric indicators. No effects of the launch of new mining projects on overall under-five mortality were found (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR): 0.88; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.68–1.14). However, activation of mining projects reduced the mortality risk among neonates (0–30 days) by 45% (aOR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.37–0.83) and risk for a child to develop diarrhoeal diseases by 32% (aOR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0,51–0.90). The timing analysis of observed changes showed that there is a significant decline in the risk for childhood diarrhoea (aOR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.49–0.97), and the mean height-for-age z-scores by 28 percentage points, during the prospection and construction phase; i.e., within four years to the initiation of extraction activity. No effects were found for cough and weight-for-height.
Conclusion
The results presented suggest that the impacts of mining on child health vary throughout the mine’s life cycle. Mining development likely contributes positively to the income and livelihoods of the impacted communities in the initial years of mining operations, particularly the prospection and construction phase; these potential benefits are likely to be at least partially offset by food insecurity and environmental pollution during early and later mining stages, respectively. Further research is warranted to better understand these health impacts and to identify policies that can help sustain the positive initial health impacts of mining projects in the long term.
Funder
Swiss Programme for Research on Global Issues for Development
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health,Health Policy
Reference57 articles.
1. Arrobas DLP, Hund KL, Mccormick MS, Ningthoujam J, Drexhage JR. The Growing Role of Minerals and Metals for a Low Carbon Future. Washington, D.C.: World Bank; 2017 2017/06/30. 92 p.
2. IQ P. Africa Mining IQ - Africa’s Mining Portal: Projects IQ; 2019 [updated 2019; Cited 2021 08/01/2021; Accessed 05/01/2021]. Available from: https://www.projectsiq.co.za/default.htm.
3. Global SPs. Market Intelligence Platform 2020 [Cited 2021 10/03/2021; Accessed 09/03/2021]. Available from: https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/solutions/market-679 intelligence-platform.
4. Tolonen A. Local industrial shocks, female empowerment and infant health: evidence from africa’s gold mining industr; 2014.
5. Knoblauch AM, Divall MJ, Owuor M, Musunka G, Pascall A, Nduna K, et al. Selected indicators and determinants of women's health in the vicinity of a copper mine development in northwestern Zambia. BMC Womens Health. 2018;18(1):62. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-018-0547-7.
Cited by
7 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献