Alex Masi

Boys are washing cassava on the shore of a dam, built for drinking water, but now spiked with lead, as the location was used until recently as an artisanal gold processing site, near Bagega, pop. 9000, a large, village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. The processing site has now been moved a little further away, about 2 Km from the main village, in an effort to reduce the possibility of human contamination. Some villagers still use dam water for their needs, as boreholes and wells are often malfunctioning. The lead contamination is caused by ingestion and breathing of particles released in the steps to isolate the gold from other metals. This type of lead is soluble in stomach acid and children under-5 are most affected, as they tend to ingest more through their hands by touching the ground, and are developing symptoms often leading to death or serious disabilities.