Community cry foul over pollution caused by lead factory in the Congo

Smoking chimneys, lead-laden dust and pungent smells – the residents of this factory in the heart of a working-class neighborhood seem to have become accustomed to this toxic cocktail to which they have been exposed for several years.

Yet here are men, women and children whose examinations have revealed alarming levels of lead in their blood, making their health more fragile by the day.

“This factory makes life difficult for us. When they blow the smoke, our stomachs hurt, my child and I are contaminated with lead,” one resident complained.

The company’s name is…