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LEAD INTOXICATION - NIGERIA (ZAMFARA)
*************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: 4 Jun 2010
Source: BBC [edited]
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/10241647.stm>


Nigeria - lead poisoning kills 100 children in north
----------------------------------------------------
More than 100 children have died of lead poisoning in Nigeria in
recent weeks, health officials say. The number has been rising since
March 2010, when residents started digging illegally for gold in
areas with high concentrations of lead. The victims were from several
remote villages in the northern state of Zamfara.

A total of 163 out of 355 cases of poisoning have proved fatal, a
Nigerian health ministry official told Reuters. Dr Henry Akpan, the
health ministry's chief epidemiologist, said: "[The victims] were
digging for gold, but the areas also have large concentrations of
lead."

Health authorities have set up 2 camps in the area to treat people
who are suffering symptoms of lead poisoning.

Contaminated water?
-------------------
The deaths were discovered during the country's annual immunisation
programme, when officials realised there were virtually no children
in several remote villages in the northern state, says the BBC's
Abdullai Kaura Abubakar in Kaduna.

Villagers said the children had died of malaria and it was only when
a team from international aid agency _Medecins Sans Frontiers_ took
blood tests from local people that the high concentrations of lead
were discovered.

Zamfara State had recently employed a Chinese company to mine gold in
the area, adds our correspondent. But villagers had also attempted to
capitalise by digging for the precious metal themselves - an illegal
activity in Nigeria. It is likely locals became sick after lead
removed during the process of refining gold ore contaminated local
water systems, our correspondent says.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[Lead is a naturally occurring bluish-gray metal found in small
amounts in the earth's crust. Lead can be found in all parts of our
environment. Lead itself does not break down, but lead compounds are
changed by sunlight, air, and water. When lead is released to the
air, it may travel long distances before settling to the ground. Once
lead falls onto soil, it usually sticks to soil particles. Movement
of lead from soil into groundwater will depend on the type of lead
compound and the characteristics of the soil.

Lead is a heavy metal that can be toxic to living bodies, humans and
animals, in certain high levels. Lead can be found in paints on
houses, on pottery, and other objects. Lead can be found in water, in
air around smelters, and in such objects as batteries.

When lead enters the body, generally through ingestion but also
through inhalation from dust and lead smelters, it may be seen as a
lead line on the metaphysis of growing bones in radiographs.

Lead can be especially detrimental to children as many tissues are
growing and developing and lead is easy incorporated into those
cells. It may slow growth, cause hearing problems, hyperactivity and
behavior changes. Children with high lead burdens may have
neurological damage, including brain damage. This may present as
headaches or learning difficulties, muscle cramps, twitches or
spasms. It may be more severe, leading to seizures and death.

Adults may also suffer from lead poisoning. Adults may experience a
variety of neurological problems, among them, memory and
concentration problems. They may also have muscle and joint pain,
reproductive problems, and hypertension (high blood pressure). Adults
may also suffer from neurological problems as well.

Heavy metal intoxication almost always affects the gastrointestinal
system, such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, poor appetite and as a
consequence, weight loss. Anemia may also be seen in lead poisoning,
which further increases the weakness the victim experiences.

The effects of lead are the same whether it enters the body through
breathing or swallowing. Lead can affect almost every organ and
system in the body. The main target for lead toxicity is the nervous
system, both in adults and children. Long-term exposure of adults can
result in decreased performance in some tests that measure functions
of the nervous system. It may also cause weakness in fingers, wrists,
or ankles. Lead exposure also causes small increases in blood
pressure, particularly in middle-aged and older people and can cause
anemia. Exposure to high lead levels can severely damage the brain
and kidneys in adults or children and ultimately cause death. In
pregnant women, high levels of exposure to lead may cause
miscarriage. High-level exposure in men can damage the organs
responsible for sperm production.

Children are more vulnerable and more sensitive to lead poisoning
than adults. A child who swallows large amounts of lead may develop
blood anemia, severe stomachache, muscle weakness, and brain damage.
These same clinical signs mimic other childhood illness. If a child
swallows smaller amounts of lead, much less severe effects on blood
and brain function may occur. Even at much lower levels of exposure,
lead can affect a child's mental and physical growth.

Exposure to lead is more dangerous for young and unborn children.
Unborn children can be exposed to lead through their mothers. Harmful
effects include premature births, smaller babies, decreased mental
ability in the infant, learning difficulties, and reduced growth in
young children. These effects are more common if the mother or baby
was exposed to high levels of lead. Some of these effects may persist
beyond childhood.

Lead in the groundwater may be an issue in this case. Lead can be
absorbed from the drinking water. In the US, the level of lead in the
water is allowed at less than 0.15 ml of lead per liter of water
(less than 0.15 ppm). A number of water filtration units such as
reverse osmosis can filter out the lead. If the situation is more
primitive than this, I am unsure what to treat a well with. Calcium
disodium EDTA has been used to treat people, and putting it into a
water well may work to bind it, but I have no data support. Certainly
using a water system that is not contaminated with lead is the best
option.

If this is a case of lead in the air, then it is appropriate to cover
the mouth and nose and to remove one's self from the area.

Lead has no known physiological function in the body. It can be
tested for in the blood, but chelators are necessary to help
eliminate the metal from the body. Effective chelators include
dimercapterol and succimer.

Portions of this comment have been extracted from:
<http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts13.html> - Mod.TG]

[The interactive HealthMap/ProMED map of Nigeria is available at:
<http://healthmap.org/r/007*> - CopyEd.EJP]

Nigeria - Mindestens 300 Tote durch Bleivergiftung
Illegal nach Gold geschürft, ohne zu wissen, dass der Boden auch hohe Mengen Blei enthielt
07.06.2010 - Standard

Nairobi/Lagos - Mindestens 300 Menschen sind nach Berichten lokaler Medien in Nordnigeria an einer Bleivergiftung gestorben. Die meisten der Opfer sind Frauen und Kinder, berichtete die Zeitung "The Guardian" unter Berufung auf Dorfälteste aus den betroffenen Gemeinschaften im Bundesstaat Zamfara ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

Nigeria: mass lead poisoning from mining activties, Zamfara State
07.07.2010 - WHO

A major outbreak of lead poisoning in children has been occurring in Zamfara State, Nigeria since at least March 2010, related to the processing of lead-rich ore for the extraction of gold.

During March-April the Zamfara State Ministry of Health was informed by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) of an increasing number of childhood deaths and illness in villages in the two Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Bukkuyum and Anka. At the request of the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health, the United States Centers for Disease Control (US CDC) deployed a response team to assist in investigating this outbreak. At the same time, the Blacksmith Institute sent a team from TerraGraphics Environmental Engineering Inc to conduct an environmental assessment. These teams worked with the national and state authorities, MSF, and the country office of the World Health Organization (WHO). The investigations confirmed severe lead poisoning in more than 100 children in the villages of Dareta and Yargalma, with a mean blood lead concentration of 119 μg/dL (levels as low as 10 μg/dL are associated with impaired neurological development in young children). Moreover, lead concentrations in soil of >100,000 ppm were found in and around habitations in the villages (the limit for residential areas applied in the USA and France is 400 ppm).
WHO response

The Nigerian authorities requested WHO to provide further technical and financial assistance to contain the current outbreak and prevent similar outbreaks in the future. WHO deployed a team comprising three epidemiologists, a clinical toxicologist, a paediatrician, an environmental health expert and a laboratory specialist. This team, working with staff from the State Ministry of Health, confirmed a high degree of environmental lead contamination from the same cause in 5 additional villages (Tungar-dadj, Abare, Duza and Sunke (Anka LGA), and Tungar-guru (Bukuyum LGA)). A random sample of 56 children under 5 years from the villages of Abare and Tungar-guru revealed that >90% had blood lead concentrations above 45 μg/dL (for which chelation therapy is recommended) and >70% had concentrations above 70 μg/dL (for which urgent treatment is needed). A high incidence of convulsions and death in young children has been noted in these villages, and there is a strong likelihood that this is due to lead poisoning. An extrapolation from the above figures suggests that >2000 individuals are in need of chelation therapy in the 5 villages. Data from the State Ministry of Health hospital registry suggest there are still more villages where lead poisoning may be a problem.
Situation update

MSF is currently providing chelation therapy for around 100 children in two specially established units within the general hospitals of Bukkuyum and Anka. WHO has been collaborating with MSF and a number of international clinical toxicologists on the development of treatment protocols. The WHO team has also helped to set up a laboratory service for measuring blood lead concentrations in Gusau, and has provided training in surveillance and the management of lead poisoning.

In order to prevent further deaths and long-term neurological impairment in affected children it is essential that the lead contamination is removed from villages and particularly the domestic compounds. In addition, it is essential that poisoned children are identified and given appropriate chelation therapy. For chelation therapy to be effective, however, children must be removed from exposure to lead, which means that they cannot return to their homes after treatment until their environment has been cleaned. The Blacksmith Institute and TerraGraphics are working with the Zamfara State authorities to decontaminate the villages of Dareta and Yargalma. Considerably more resources are needed to decontaminate the other 5 villages and to identify and treat all of the children, as well as affected adults (in particular pregnant women) in these villages.

WHO is working with its UN partners to mobilize funds to deal with this unprecedented environmental emergency.

Further information on lead and its health effects
Environmental Health Criteria (EHC) on inorganic lead
Information on heavy metals from the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety
Information on lead from Healthy Environments for Children Alliance [pdf 881kb]
UNEP - Lead and cadmium activities

Gruß
Birgitt

Das Gold, das die Kinder sterben lässt

Seit der Goldpreis nach immer neuen Höhen strebt, ist im Norden von Nigeria ein Goldrausch ausgebrochen. Doch mit dem Edelmetall kamen die Probleme und den Preis zahlen die Kinder. mehr...

Grüsse
Alexander

JA was denn nun, Blei oder Quecksilber?

Zitat: Das Puder wird mit Wasser und Quecksilber vermischt, um zu erreichen, dass sich die Goldpartikel zusammenklumpen.

Kann mal jemand erklären wie da die chemischen Zusammenhänge sind?

Hallo trapperjoe,

da das Gold in der Regel nicht in grossen Nuggets sondern Elementar vorkommt, wird das Golderz zu Pulver zerstampft. Durch Zugabe von Quecksilber verbindet sich Quecksilber und Gold zu einem Gemisch (Amalgam) Der Rest kann entfernt werden. Übrig bleibt das Gemisch. Dieses wird dann erhitzt und durch Ausdampfen Gold und Quecksilber wieder getrennt. Übrig bleibt das Reingold.
Das Gleiche funktioniert mit Blei. Das Blei wird erhitzt und verflüssigt und dem zerkleinerten Golderz beigegeben. Das Blei wird dann wieder durch Ausdampfen aus dem Gemisch getrennt. Das Quecksilber ist gefährlicher, da es flüssig ist und in die Gewässer gelangt. Beide Metalle sind aber für den Goldschürfer, deren Dämpfe er beim Erhitzen einatmet gesundheitschädlich.

Mir kann das allerdings nicht passieren, da Kuno mir immer Goldtöpfchen versteckt, die ich dann wieder auf dem Dixi Klo finde

Grüsse
Alexander

'Dozens of children die' in Nigerian lead poisoning
27.08.2010 - BBC

As many as 30 children have died of lead poisoning in northern Nigeria over the past week, authorities believe. Scores of people - mostly children - have already died this year in Zamfara state, poisoned by lead-contaminated waste from illegal gold mining. The latest deaths occurred in a remote village near the town of Anka ... mehr

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Birgitt

Gold rush kills more children in northern Nigeria
20.10.2010 - Reuters

ZAMAN GIRA, Nigeria - Ibrahim Bello says he can earn $23 in two hours extracting gold from the ground, more than he can make in two months from cultivating millet. It is a princely sum in this mud-brick village in northwestern Nigeria, a region on the southern fringe of the Sahara where most people eke out a living as subsistence farmers and survive on as little as $2 a day. Such is the economic draw of the "gold rush", with impoverished farmers digging up rocks by hand in open mines, that many are in denial about its devastating consequences. At least 400 children have died ... mehr

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Birgitt

Goldrausch tötet Kinder in Nigeria
21.10.2010 - euronews

Wegen des illegalen Abbaus von Gold sind in den vergangenen sechs Monaten in Nigeria mehr als 400 Kinder an einer Bleivergiftung gestorben. Stark bleihaltiges Erz wird von den Goldgräbern in den Dörfern zermahlen. Dabei wird der hochgiftige Bleistaub freigesetzt. Betroffen sind sechs Dörfer im Bundesstaat Zamfara am Südrand der Sahara. Regenfälle haben das Problem noch verschärft ... mehr mit Video

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Birgitt

LEAD INTOXICATION - NIGERIA: (ZAMFARA)
**************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Wed 9 Mar 2010
Source: MBPE Capital [edited]
<http://www.mbpecapital.com/?p=3481>


Outbreak of lead poisoning in Nigeria
-------------------------------------
Lead poisoning linked with illegal mining has claimed the lives of
more than 400 infants and over 500 people have been admitted in
hospitals in Zamfara State in northern Nigeria since November [2010],
Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said today [9
Mar 2011].

The immature body system of children exposed to contaminated soils
and gold processing tools tends to rapidly absorb associated lead and
in the process poisoning then leading to convulsion, paralysis, and
even death.

According to the ministry, most of the victims were children mostly
those who played in contaminated water flowing near the illegal mining
sites. "The children played near the leaching process or took part in
it, swallowing the lead, inhaling it, or putting their contaminated
hands in their mouths," he had said.

[byline: Kathy Sworner]

--
communicated by:
HealthMap Alerts via ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[Lead is a metal with no known biological benefit to humans. Too much
lead can damage various systems of the body, including the nervous and
reproductive systems and the kidneys, and it can cause high blood
pressure and anemia. Lead accumulates in the bones, and lead poisoning
may be diagnosed from a blue line around the gums. Lead is especially
harmful to the developing brains of fetuses and young children and to
pregnant women. Lead interferes with the metabolism of calcium and
vitamin D. High blood lead levels in children can cause consequences
which may be irreversible including learning disabilities, behavioral
problems, and mental retardation. At very high levels, lead can cause
convulsions, coma, and death.

People are exposed to lead through the air they breathe, through
water, and through food/ingestion. Toxic effects are usually due to
long-term exposure. The population groups at greatest risk of exposure
are young children and workers. A recent report suggests that even a
blood level of 10 micrograms per deciliter can have harmful effects on
children's learning and behavior (CDC, 2000). People can be exposed to
lead contamination from the motor vehicle exhaust of leaded gasoline,
as well as from industrial sources such as smelters and lead
manufacturing and recycling industries, from cottage industry uses,
and waste sites (such as contaminated landfills).

The effects of lead are the same whether it enters the body through
breathing or swallowing. Lead can affect almost every organ and system
in your body. The main target for lead toxicity is the nervous system,
both in adults and children. Long-term exposure of adults can result
in decreased performance in some tests that measure functions of the
nervous system. It may also cause weakness in fingers, wrists, or
ankles. Lead exposure also causes small increases in blood pressure,
particularly in middle-aged and older people and can cause anemia.
Exposure to high lead levels can severely damage the brain and kidneys
in adults or children and ultimately cause death. In pregnant women,
high levels of exposure to lead may cause miscarriage. High-level
exposure in men can damage the organs responsible for sperm
production.

A blood test is available to measure the amount of lead in your blood
and to estimate the amount of your recent exposure to lead. Blood
tests are commonly used to screen children for lead poisoning. Lead in
teeth or bones can be measured by X-ray techniques, but these methods
are not widely available. Exposure to lead also can be evaluated by
measuring erythrocyte protoporphyrin (EP) in blood samples. EP is a
part of red blood cells known to increase when the amount of lead in
the blood is high. However, the EP level is not sensitive enough to
identify children with elevated blood lead levels below about 25
micrograms/dL. These tests usually require special analytical
equipment that is not available in a doctor's office. However, your
doctor can draw blood samples and send them to appropriate
laboratories for analysis.

Portions of the commentary above have been extracted from
<http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_hea ... es/lead/en> and
<http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts13.html>. - Mod.TG

The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Nigeria can be seen at
<http://healthmap.org/r/01sS>. - Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]

Nigeria: mass lead poisoning from mining activities, Zamfara State - Update 1
11.11.2011 - WHO

The mass lead poisoning from mining activities in Zamfara State in Nigeria, which was discovered in March 2010, continues to affect villagers in three Local Government Areas (LGAs): Anka, Bukkuyum and Maru.

While the full scale of the problem is still not fully determined, a survey carried out by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) at the request of the Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health has revealed at least 43 villages in Zamfara State where there are confirmed cases of lead poisoning (blood lead concentration >10 μg/dL). In at least seven of these villages there are children who need chelation therapy (blood lead concentration >45 μg/dL). This is in addition to the seven villages that have now been remediated.

With the combined effects of removal from lead exposure and chelation and other supportive therapy, the mortality rate among exposed children in seven remediated villages has dropped from 43% in 2010 to 1% in 2011.

Actions taken

WHO and multiple partners have been assisting state and federal authorities to manage the situation, which cannot be resolved without sustained changes to mining practices to prevent further environmental contamination with lead. These include relocation of ore processing activities and storage of ore materials away from villages, the adoption of new processing methods that produce less dust, as well as hygiene measures such as removing contaminated clothes and washing before returning home.

WHO is continuing to advocate with the Government in Nigeria for their attention to this problem and to gain their commitment to further sustained action to prevent the serious and life-long consequences of lead poisoning in a generation of children in Zamfara.

The response to the mass lead poisoning in Zamfara State has involved multiple agencies, including WHO, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) - Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Joint Environment Unit, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the US CDC, the Blacksmith Institute, TerraGraphics Environmental Engineering Inc, and the Artisanal Gold Council, working with authorities and leaders at community, state and federal level.

With funding of US$ 1.9 million provided by the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to WHO and UNICEF, the following activities have been carried out:

• remediation of five villages (Abare, Tungar Guru, Tungar Daji, Sunke and Duza);
• social mobilization and community awareness activities directed at informing local communities about the hazards of lead and how to prevent lead exposure, including safer mining and gold extraction processes;
• advocacy activities with state and federal authorities, and community leaders;
• establishment of a surveillance system for the early detection of lead poisoning in Zamfara State;
• provision of three hand-held x-ray fluorescence devices for the rapid measurement of lead concentrations in soil;
• provision of four point-of-care analyzers and their kits for the rapid measurement of blood lead concentrations;
• provision of a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer, ancillary equipment and reagents, as well as technical advice, for the establishment of a reference laboratory for the measurement of lead;
• training for doctors, nursing and laboratory staff at the planned lead treatment centre in Gusau on the diagnosis and management of lead poisoning;
• provision of antidotal agents for the treatment of lead poisoning;
• co-ordination of partners involved in the response activities.

The remediation work has been organized by the Blacksmith Institute and TerraGraphics Environmental Engineering Inc, working with the Zamfara State authorities and local contractors. Remediation has involved the identification of contaminated areas in the villages, removal of all contaminated soil, its disposal in secure landfill sites and its replacement with clean soil. In addition walls and other surfaces in family compounds have been cleaned. A total of seven villages have now been remediated, two having been completed before the CERF funding was available. TerraGraphics has provided training in assessment and remediation procedures so that they can be continued by local agencies.

MSF has continued to provide chelation therapy for lead-poisoned children in the decontaminated villages and now has over 2 000 children under five years of age on its treatment programme.

Ongoing challenges

This serious environmental emergency cannot be resolved quickly. Remediation is a challenging and time-consuming task. Children have to wait for their family compounds to be cleaned before they can start treatment, and some children will require chelation for many months. Persuading people to adopt new practices and behaviours requires continuing effort. In addition, capacities within Nigeria for the diagnosis and management of lead poisoning need further strengthening and support. A further challenge is the purchase of sufficient chelating agents: these are expensive drugs that are not available as generics. There is therefore a need for long-term engagement on the part of leaders and authorities at community, state and federal levels in Nigeria, as well as health and environment professionals, technical partners and donors.

Of particular concern is the town of Bagega in Anka Local Government Area, which is a regional hub for ore processing and the informal gold trade. Many family compounds and communal areas in the town have soil lead concentrations above 1 000 ppm (400 ppm is the limit in the USA for areas where there are children), and it is estimated that 1 500 young children may be poisoned with lead. Before these children can be treated they must have a clean environment to live in. There is therefore an urgent need to decontaminate Bagega and the other villages and to provide chelation and other therapy.

Quelle: WHO

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Birgitt

The charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has called on the Nigerian government to do more to deal with a deadly outbreak of lead poisoning. In 2009 it became clear that hundreds of children in the northern state of Zamfara had died from exposure to lead. They were poisoned by dust released by gold miners breaking open rocks near their homes. The charity says 4,000 other children remain contaminated with many of them unable to get treatment.

Nigeria lead poisoning: MSF urges government to do more
11.05.2012 - BBC

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Birgitt

IRIN hat geschrieben: NIGERIA: Where is the money to help poisoned children?
15.05.2012

ABUJA - Aid organizations and rights groups are putting more pressure on the Nigerian government to release a promised US$5.4 million in aid for lead-poisoned children, but government officials keep ducking the issue.

Last week Nigerian and international specialists, aid workers, scientists, ministers from Zamfara State in northwestern Nigeria and local cultural leaders gathered at an international conference in the capital, Abuja, to map out a collective plan to remediate poisoned sites, test and treat affected residents - mostly children - and put in place safer mining practices.

Over 400 children have died and an estimated 10 times that number have been contaminated by acute lead poisoning in the state of Zamfara since 2010, when international health NGO Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) learned of what its Nigeria head, Ivan Gayton, referred to as "one of the worst, if not the worst, lead-poisoning crises ever." [ http://www.irinnews.org/Report/94912/NI ... -poisoning ]

In November 2011 the federal government committed US$5.4 million to help the poisoned children, but none of this money has been released, and the delay has not been explained, said MSF.

"Without delay, the $850 million naira from the ecological fund must be released in order to begin the environmental remediation and the safer mining programme in Zamfara State," Gayton said at the close of the conference.

Thousands of children in Zamfara go untreated while their villages await remediation, excluding them from chelation [removing lead from the body] while they are continuously re-poisoned.

Lead poisoning is caused by artisanal mining practices in the gold-rich but otherwise largely impoverished Zamfara region, when independent miners use crude hand tools containing lead to extract gold from crushed ore in their villages.

The toxic dust contaminates soil, water, food and homes. Children under five years of age are especially vulnerable to poisoning, as their bodies weigh much less and absorb far greater amounts of lead from the environment than adults. Lead-contaminated dust is also more likely to be ingested by children as they crawl on the ground and put dusty hands in their mouths, while their vital organs and cognitive abilities are still forming.

Zamfara's lead crisis came to a head in 2010, when skyrocketing international gold prices (1 ounce of gold is valued at approximately $1,600) prompted scores of residents to turn to artisanal mining.

"The state government is doing all it can with its limited resources," said Mouktar Lugga, Environment Commissioner for Zamfara State. The state has been working with US-based environmental engineering firm Terragraphics to clean seven of the affected villages, while Geneva-based MSF has treated over 2,500 children under five.

Yet no federal minister of mining, the environment, or health attended the conference, and no concrete action by the federal government was announced.

"By not participating in the conference, the federal government sent a message that the political commitment to resolve this really isn't there," said Jane Cohen, an environmental health researcher with Human Rights Watch. "It's not just about a symbolic message, it's about whether or not the resources are there to now take action and, unfortunately, they're just not."

Professor Abdulsalami Nasidi, Project Director of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, spoke on behalf of the government during the conference's closing remarks, and stressed that Nigeria's high-level officials are engaged with the needs of Zamfara. "The federal government is regarding this problem not only as an emergency, but a chemical warfare declared on Nigerian children," he said.

On behalf of the ministers, he pledged to follow up on the issue, which Cohen says is a legal responsibility. "The government is obligated under international law to protect the rights of these people, and they're really failing in this duty," she said.

Fending for themselves

The village of Bagega is widely considered to be the largest and most contaminated region in Zamfara, with some 1,500 poisoned children requiring treatment. Minimal remediation has begun, but the scale of the village's toxicity demands more resources than are currently available.

After a visit there, Cohen said that messaging about safety practices from NGOs and the state government are beginning to have an impact on local residents. She encountered one family who had cleansed their own home of lead by replacing contaminated soil and mud with clean materials, without external resources or expertise. "They've given up on their government," Cohen told IRIN.

However, if the remediation [cleansing] is not thorough, families remain at risk. "A lot of the bricks in people's homes in Bagega were made of contaminated mud," she said. "Even though that family took out six inches of soil and replaced it with clean soil, their walls are still dangerous."

Despite the standstill in releasing federal funds, delegates to the multidisciplinary conference announced an action plan for Zamfara, including creating a state-level rapid response team, a plan to include local communities in policy development, and a push for safer artisanal mining technologies.

But this must not excuse the government from fulfilling its responsibility, Gayton said. "This 850 million naira would be an amazing first step to addressing the problems in Zamfara state."

Quelle: IRIN

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Birgitt

The release of $4m (£2.5m) promised by Nigeria's president seven months ago to clean up villages contaminated by lead has been welcomed by campaigners. US-based Human Rights Watch said the funds would help 1,500 children in urgent need of life-saving medical treatment in northern Zamfara state.

Nigeria lead poisoning: Activists welcome delayed funds
29.01.2013 - BBC

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Birgitt

Hier eine interessante Fotodokumentation zum Thema:

A silent killer: Lead poisoning in Nigeria
16.11.2016 - Aljazeera

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Birgitt