Mounting deaths of Nigerian children from lead poisoning - World Socialist Web Site
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Mounting deaths of Nigerian children from lead poisoning
By Trevor Johnson
17 June 2013
More than 460 children have died in the northern Nigerian state of Zamfara due to the effects of lead poisoning since 2009. Thousands of people have suffered from lead poisoning, with many facing long-term and serious medical conditions such as paralysis, deafness and brain damage.
People in many villages make their living by extracting gold using artisanal methods. The rocks that contain the gold also contain large amounts of lead compounds, which build up in the environment. Some of the contaminated soil examined in the area was found to comprise more than 10 percent lead.