Headache occurrences among different classes of residents within a nickel-copper (NiCu)
mining and smelting environment in Botswana are investigated using questionnaires
and statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). Interpreted results from respondents
indicated that all of the health service providers, 80% of educational institutions, and 70
% of businesses enterprises had patients, learners and workers respectively, and 77 % of
individuals, complained of one form of headache or the other. Similar high values were
obtained when responses were considered according to study sites, especially for frontal
and temple headaches. Females suffered slightly more often from headaches than males.
Values for sites close to smelter/concentrator plant and mine were in general higher.
Mining activities especially the release of sulphur gases and fumes into the atmosphere,
and other climatic factors could possibly be contributory to the rampant occurrence of
headaches at Selebi Phikwe.