The UN Environment Programme has called for Nigeria to clean up lead contamination in the Zamfara state in the north of the country which claimed the lives of up to 200 children last year (BB, July 2010).
Investigations by UNEP and the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs have confirmed the cause of the deaths in the Bukkuyum and Anka areas was acute lead poisoning from the processing of lead-rich ore for gold extraction within houses or domestic compounds.
Over 18,000 people have been affected and the voluntary organisations that tackled the emergency say up to 200 children have died.
The new tests followed a request by Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health in September and were conducted by four experts using the mobile environmental assessment module provided by the Dutch government.
They examined lead levels in soil and surface water and found the World Health Organisation and Nigerian lead in drinking water standard (10μg/l) was exceeded up to tenfold in wells.
Pond water was highly contaminated but boreholes were clean as contamination remains near processing sites and has not yet reached aquifers.
Soil in unremediated villages was highly contaminated, exposing young children who ingest soil to potentially harmful levels.
The report calls for rapid remediation so people can return to affected villages and calls on the authorities to prevent further lead poisoning.
The most severe contamination affects the under-5s, although older children also have high blood-lead levels.
Decontamination of houses and villages will be required to prevent further exposure.
The medical response is being lead by Médecins sans Frontières Holland, together with WHO and UNICEF in Nigeria, supporting local authorities and the health ministry.
The Central Emergency Response Fund has allocated $2m in response to the crisis.
