Anglo American has been sued in South Africa by a group of Zambian women and children alleging the company caused widespread lead poisoning from a mine it owned until 1974 in the northern city of Kabwe.

The class-action lawsuit, filed at South Africa's High Court on Wednesday by law firms Mbuyisa Moleele and Leigh Day, seeks both compensation for about 100,000 people and a clean-up of the area.

"Generations of children have been poisoned by the operations of the Kabwe mine, originally known as Broken Hill, which caused widespread contamination of the soil, dust, water and vegetation," the firms said in a statement. "The main sources of this poisonous lead were from the smelter, ore processing and tailings dumps."

The lawyers argue that Anglo American's South African subsidiary is liable as it was responsible for the mine from 1925 to 1974 and that this was when the majority of the pollution was caused. The firms also claim that Anglo failed to warn state-owned ZCCM, which took over the mine in 1974, of the lead hazard.

Anglo American said in an emailed statement it would review the claims and take all necessary steps to vigorously defend its position.