Dozens of children die of lead poisoning in Nigeria as release of funds is delayed

Nigerian health officials reported last month that 28 children were killed and another 37 fell ill from drinking waterpoisoned by lead in an area of artisanal and small-scale gold mining sites in Niger state, in the north-west of the country.

International human rights advocacy organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) says that this follows its 2012 report which documented how lead poisoning inNigeria’s Zamfara state killed more than 400 children and left thousands more with permanent life-long disabilities.

“After pledging money to address the crisis, former President Goodluck Jonathan waited months to act, as authorisation to release the money sat on his desk awaiting his signature,” HRW health and human rights division fellowKatharina Rall states.

She asserts that last month’s incident is likely to result in many more children being exposed to lead poisoning and these children will suffer a “wide range of insidious health effects”, as no level of lead exposure is considered safe.

Rall explains that lead exposure is particularly harmful to young children, as their immune system is still developing.

“In both cases, the lead poisoning was associated with small-scale gold mining, in which villagers use simple tools to crush ore and mine gold. Lead occurs naturally in ore, but ore in Nigeria has unusually high levels of lead,” she says.

Rall points out that when people process the ore within their home compounds, lead dust settles on areas where children play, on clothes or on furniture.

“How could this latest tragedy have been avoided,” she asks.

Ralls says that, in 2012, Occupational Knowledge International, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to improving public health through innovative strategies to reduce exposure to industrial pollutants, conducted an investigation in various Nigerian mining regions and found that the highest levels were located in the area of the latest poisoning incident.

The organisation recommended blood lead testing of all children and workers at two of the sites they visited. They also suggested that a survey be done in additional mining areas around Niger state, and that interim measures be taken to reduce exposure to lead while long-term plans for clean-up were developed