Cities such as Lubumbashi and Likasi face serious air pollution because of the thousands of trucks that travel to and from the mines throughout the day. Chronic exposure to such dusts can lead to severe lung diseases. Water is unfit for human consumption and agriculture because soil and water in the immediate vicinity of the mines are polluted by discharges of wastewater.

A female student taking a math test experiences an extra cognitive and emotional burden of worry related to the stereotype that women are not good at math.