A seven-member UN emergency environmental team has arrived in Nigeria to investigate the deaths of over 200 children from lead poisoning in northern Zamfara state. The team, led by Mr. Mathew Combay from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), arrived in Gusau, capital of Zamfara, Wednesday on a two-week visit.
The team, which includes experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), will proceed to the seven villages affected by the lead poisoning as soon as their equipment arrives, to a nalyse the soil and drinking water in the area with the aim of determining the scale of the poisoning.
The lead poisoning in the Nigerian state, which started in March 2010, is related to the processing of lead-rich ore for the extraction of gold by illegal miners.
The Nigerian government Wednesday banned all mining activities in the state as part of efforts to curb the situation.