Pollution from ArcelorMittal's Temirtau plant led to the death of 3000 people, says report

The report, which was based on findings by the Centre of Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), was the culmination of a ‘rigorous air quality and health impact assessment (HIA)’ performed for the year 2022’, which was then scaled for the remainder of the time period based on changes in Kazakhstan national steel production, calculating the impact of the plant while under the ownership and management of ArcelorMittal from 1996 to 2023.

The organization also claims that exposure to pollution from Temirtau has led to 250 (150–350) visits to the emergency room due to asthma, 700 (150–1,600) new cases of asthma in children, 2,600 (640–5,600) children suffering from asthma, 190 (91–200) pre-term births, 130 (41–230) low birth weights, and 326,000 (220,000–300,000) days of work absences.

“ArcelorMittal’s relentless pursuit of high steel production rates, coupled with its heavy reliance on coal, has polluted the air and the lives of thousands of people,” said Jamie Kelly, Air Quality Analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), and author of the health impact assessment. “The result has been premature births, childhood asthma, and even deaths. The $4.2 billion in health-related costs is a stark reminder of the heavy toll on this community, showing just how unfair it is when economic gains are put ahead of people’s well-being.”

Industry watchdog SteelWatch, which partnered with CREA to release the report, has previously criticised ArcelorMittal for ‘prioritising shareholders over decarbonization in its financial decisions’, in its failure to release scientifically–validated CO₂ emissions reductions targets in alignment with a 1.5C climate scenario, and so-described ‘gaps between its reported emissions and its actual climate footprint’.

“Premature babies, asthmatic children, sick and dying relatives – these are not just numbers, but thousands of people and their tragedies. It is not right that ArcelorMittal can preside over such devastating health impacts and then just walk away. Kazakhstan is paying three times over for the pollution driven by ArcelorMittal’s dirty production: people have paid with their lives; society is paying the economic cost of sickness; and the government has paid the company a billion dollars to take over this disastrous operation,” said SteelWatch director Caroline Ashley. “This research further tarnishes ArcelorMittal’s image, which was already as black as the winter snow in Temirtau.”

A link to the report, which details its methodology and findings, can be found here.