Geneva/New York/Nairobi,
7 January 2011 - The United Nations Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA) and the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) have released a report
calling on Nigerian authorities to prevent
further lead poisoning in northern Nigeria.
The report recommends taking greater measures
to limit ore processing activities at sensitive
sites, such as water sources from which
humans and livestock drink.
The report also calls
for cleaning up polluted villages as soon
as possible to ensure that children suffering
from lead poisoning can return to their
villages for recovery and follow-up care
after receiving treatment.
Abnormally high rates
of death and illness among children have
been recorded since the beginning of 2010
in the areas of Bukkuyum and Anka in Zamfara
State in northern Nigeria. Investigations
by the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit
revealed that the cause is acute lead poisoning
from the processing of lead-rich ore for
gold extraction taking place inside houses
and compounds. Over 18,000 people have been
affected and 200 have children reportedly
died as a result of the poisoning.
The new report is based
on the findings of a sampling and analysis
mission requested by the Federal Ministry
of Health of Nigeria in September 2010.
The mission was supported by four technical
experts and used equipment from the Environmental
Assessment Module (EAM), a mobile laboratory
designed and assembled specifically for
international deployment provided by the
Government of the Netherlands.
The mission focused
on determining quantities of lead in ground
and surface water, building on previous
investigations in Zamfara State. High levels
of lead pollution were found in the soil,
and mercury levels in air were determined
to be nearly 500 times the acceptable limit.
Report Findings
Water: The mission found
that drinking water from wells did not meet
World Health Organisation (WHO) and Nigerian
standards (10 micrograms per litre) for
lead limits, and in at least one case exceeded
this limit more than tenfold. Water in ponds
was often highly contaminated. However,
no boreholes were found to have been contaminated,
indicating that lead pollution most likely
remains confined to areas where processing
has taken place, and has not yet spread
throughout the groundwater.
Soil: In the four villages
visited that have not undergone clean-up,
the soil was often highly polluted with
lead. Since young children readily ingest
soil as part of normal hand-to-mouth behaviour,
such high concentrations expose children
to potentially harmful amounts of lead.
Air: The levels of mercury
in air were found to be nearly 500 times
the maximum exposure for non-industrial
workers in the Netherlands.
The Response
The response will involve
medical care for the most severe cases of
lead poisoning among children under five,
and decontamination of houses and villages.
Both activities are needed because medical
treatment alone is ineffective if children
return home to contaminated homes and are
re-exposed to lead. Many children over five,
as well as adults, who have been tested
in the affected areas also have extremely
high levels of lead in their blood and may
require treatment.
The medical response
is being lead by Médecins sans Frontières
(MSF Holland), together with WHO and the
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Nigeria,
supporting local authorities and the Nigerian
Ministry of Health.
The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)
has allocated US$2 million in response to
the crisis.
