Cluster Health(CL1):HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-ENVLTH-01-two-Stage: The impact of pollution on the development and progression of brain diseases and disoders

ASSESSMENT OF THE SPATIO-TEMPORAL DYNAMICS AND METAL CONTAMINATION OF WATER, SEDIMENTS, ROCKS, BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES, FISH, SOILS, AND HUMANS AT THE MWENGA AND SHABUNDA MINING SITES, EASTERN DR Congo

Context and Issues

Mining is a socioeconomic activity that benefits local populations and national and international institutions. Unfortunately, it causes serious, even very serious, pollution in the short and long term, which affects human and environmental health in the exploited mining areas and their surroundings. Exposure of the population and the environment to mining toxicants such as acid mine drainage, metalloids, and heavy metals (Hg, Cd, As, Pb, Mn, Cu, etc.) contributes to the resurgence of various diseases in the food chain through bioaccumulation and biomagnification. It also deteriorates the quality of water, soil, and forests, directly or indirectly threatening their biodiversity and food chain. Little research has addressed this issue in the region. This challenge led us to ask the following research question: What is the degree of health and environmental exposure to mining pollution in the Mwenga and Shabunda mines in South Kivu, eastern DRC?

Project areas:

This project will be conducted at the Mwenga and Shabunda mining sites in South Kivu province.

Project activities and expected outcomes:

Collection of sociodemographic and health (epidemiological) data to identify community perceptions of the environmental effects of mining activity and the main diseases observed among the mining and non-mining population. Community resilience;

Collection of geographic coordinates to create various maps and calculation of various environmental indices through detection to assess the level of environmental and health threats. Blood, urine, and semen samples will be collected to determine the various concentrations of toxic substances and associated health risks. DNA and RNA will be extracted for sequencing studies.

Water, soil, sediments, rocks, and some aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity specimens will be collected to measure the content of metallic pollutants and identify the different families and species affected by the mines. These physicochemical analyses will then be used to determine the health and environmental risks related to bioaccumulation and biomagnification for human health. Rock analysis will identify all the chemical elements present, as well as predict acid emissions and their effects on health and the environment.

Development projects will be developed and implemented to benefit the populations of the mining areas of eastern DRC. PROJECT OPPORTUNITIES

- Find financial partners to support this and other projects in agroecology, agropastoralism, fish farming, environmental health, education, reproductive health, energy and climate, mitigation, restoration, and community resilience;

- Write and publish scientific articles, undergraduate, master's, and doctoral theses;

- Provide advanced training in laboratories in the North for researchers in the South;

- Transform aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems affected by mining into fish farming ecosystems, drinking water sources, arable land, and reforested areas to combat food insecurity and climate change in mining areas of eastern DRC;

- Train young researchers and teachers at master's and doctoral levels;

- Support physicochemical, biological, ecotoxicological, GIS, and biomedical analysis laboratories in the South with materials and reagents;

-Establish links between mining pollution and the rise of cancer and mental health;

The role of the Coordinator or partner is to provide financial support for logistics and all project activities.

-Build capacity in project writing, statistical analysis, and laboratory analysis, in English.

-Seek funding for the Shabunda and Mwenga Hydroelectric Project;

-Support in the creation and financial support of an Applied Ecotoxicology Research Unit;

-Assist women and children affected by mines.

I am looking for coordinators, NGOs, and research institutes to provide financial support for the various research, development, and humanitarian projects of BADEC/non-profit organization.

This project is at the proposal writing stage and is seeking financial, scientific, and academic partners, as well as biological, physicochemical, toxic, and ecotoxicological analysis laboratories.

Thank you for your contribution to mitigating mining impacts in Mwenga and Shabunda.