The illegal cobalt mining industry in the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly around Kolwezi, has produced alarming reproductive health consequences for local women. According to nurse Julie Nshinda at the Trinité Medical Center near the COMMUS mine, there has been a significant increase in miscarriages, premature births, and congenital malformations since mining intensified in 2019, with her centre receiving 5-10 women monthly with reproductive health complaints, including documented cases of babies born with exposed internal organs and brain protrusions. One resident, Angèle, who lives less than a kilometre from the COMMUS mine and has worked in artisanal mining for 16 years, reports experiencing four successive miscarriages. Female artisanal miners frequently stand in contaminated water and handle ore with bare hands for 8-10 hours daily, earning only US$6-35 per day while being exposed to potential radiation from uranium and thorium present in copper and cobalt rocks.