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  • Workers are manually crushing raw stones containing gold, and other metals like lead, in 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 contamination is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    46_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Children are collecting underground water from a hand-pump in Bagega, pop. 9000, a large village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. It is mainly caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    30_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Boys are playing soccer in Bagega, pop. 9000, a large village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. It is mainly caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    29_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • A worker is manually crushing raw stones containing gold, and other metals like lead, in 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 contamination is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    21_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Workers are washing ore dust, separating gold sediments from other metals, to later collect it by mixing it with mercury, in an artisanal processing site near Abare, a village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. The mercury recovered is then burned, revealing unpolished pieces of solid gold. It will be purified in Gusau, where goldsmiths will add sulphuric acid to refine the gold and remove all the impurities. 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.
    Stories_Portfolio_035.JPG
  • 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.
    49_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Boys are wandering around Bagega, pop. 9000, a large village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. It is mainly caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    48_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Men are preparing Halal meat in Bagega, pop. 9000, a large village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. It is mainly caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    42_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Two boys, controlled by a guard, are looking for impure gold in the last step of the extraction in an artisanal 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 contamination is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    22_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Children residing in Jaibheem Nagar, pop. 10000, a large slum located near the banks of the Kali river (East), Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, are in line to receive water and other goods from a governmental agency that provides essentials to the poorest residents once a week, on Sunday, Mar. 16, 2008. Due to the heavy metal contamination of underground water sources many of the residents are forced to walk 2-3 kilometres to reach a safer hand-pump, and those who are unable to do so, have to drink unsafe water which is the cause of many of the diseases affecting the local population.
    Slow_Poison_29.jpg
  • Amnoor, a 5-year-old boy from Simlana village, pop.4000, Saharanpur District, Uttar Pradesh, India, is being washed by his father using contaminated water delivered by their private hand-pump, on Sunday, Mar. 30, 2008. Amnoor was diagnosed a nervous damage due to the long-term effects of consuming unsafe water at the age of three. Before that he even used to run and was very healthy. Now, his reality is a semi-paralysis to both his left arm and leg. The family, whose only breadwinner is Vinod, 35, an agricultural labour, had to incur in a Rs 30000 (USD 600) expense for Amnoor's first treatment at the PGA Hospital in Chandigarth, Punjab, and in more than Rs 1000 (USD 12) a month for the cost of his medicines. With an average daily wage of Rs 50-60 and two more children to provide for, Vinod is facing a dire economic situation.
    Slow_Poison_18.JPG
  • At sunset, a farmer is leading his heard and passing near an artisanal processing site in Abare, a village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. 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.
    50_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Workers are washing ore dust, separating gold sediments from other metals, to later collect it by mixing it with mercury, in an artisanal 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 mercury recovered is then burned, revealing unpolished pieces of solid gold. It will be purified in Gusau, where goldsmiths will add sulphuric acid to refine the gold and remove all the impurities. The contamination is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    47_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Youngsters are watching television in a public ground in Bagega, pop. 9000, a large village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. It is mainly caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    25_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • A worker is smoking a cigarette on the ground, in an artisanal 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 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.
    23_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Workers are manually crushing raw stones containing gold, and other metals like lead, in 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 contamination is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    20_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • A boy sucking his finger covered in dust, is wandering around Bagega, pop. 9000, a large village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. It is mainly caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    13_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • A young boy, walking the streets of Jaibheem Nagar, pop. 10000, a large slum located near the banks of the Kali river (East), Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, stops to eat a candy near one of the contaminated water pools that regularly forms in the slum, on Monday, Mar. 17, 2008. Due to the heavy metal contamination of underground water sources, many of the residents are forced to walk 2-3 kilometres to reach a safer hand-pump, and those who are unable to do so, have to drink unsafe water which is the cause of many of the diseases affecting the local population.
    Slow_Poison_32.jpg
  • Nila Kashap, 40, from the village of Bhanera Khemchand, pop. 2000, Saharanpur District, Uttar Pradesh, India, is portrayed while resting on her bed, on Tuesday, Mar. 25, 2008. Nila started to be affected by a stomach cancer that has grown into her ovaries about one year ago and has since then incurred into 12000 Rs (USD 300) medical expenses to try and treat her disease. Doctors believe its cause to be the unsafe, yellow water she is drinking on an everyday basis from her family's private hand-pump, defined by them as being 'smelly' and 'distasteful'. Her husband, a local agricultural labourer earns as little as 50-60 Rs (USD 1) for a hard day of work in the fields and he faces regular expenses of more than 1500 Rs per month (USD 40) to try to mitigate the effects of his wife's illness. Their son, also working in the fields, is helping the family to face their dire economic situation.
    Slow_Poison_30.JPG
  • A boy is wandering in Bagega, pop. 9000, a large village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. It is mainly caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    51_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Boys are taking a break from washing ore dust, separating gold sediments from other metals, to later collect it by mixing it with mercury, in an artisanal 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 mercury recovered is then burned, revealing unpolished pieces of solid gold. It will be purified in Gusau, where goldsmiths will add sulphuric acid to refine the gold and remove all the impurities. The contamination is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    45_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Mohammed Surajo, 30, is holding his only daughter, Naimaatu Surajo, 4, a girl suffering from permanent brain damage and blindness, in Abare, a village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. His wife Asnya lost six children: two miscarriages, and four while very young. Only her daughter Surajo was saved, but she survives as a suffering victim of lead pollution in the area. It is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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. Nearby, in Anka, doctors from M√©decins Sans Fronti√®res (MSF - Doctors Without Borders) are treating serious cases of lead poisoning, referred to them by local clinics in the surrounding villages. The treatment with MSF starts when blood lead level (BLL) samples reach 45 micrograms per decilitre. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that a BLL of 5 ?g/dL or above is a cause for concern. The cycle of medicines lasts for 20 days. After that, the child's blood is tested and a new round of treatment is provided. Treatment can last years, as lead is reduced in the blood, but it persists noticeably within the bones, especially if the patients return to the same polluted environment. Remediation of the affected villages, a campaign of awareness, and the introduction of safer mining techniques are pivotal to the long-term solution of a hazardous trend that has already killed over 460 children, and it is bound to grow in size, alimented by the ever-rising price of gold.
    37_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • A man is pushing the goat's blood out of the animal's body, while preparing Halal meat in Bagega, pop. 9000, a large village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. It is mainly caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    34_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • On its way to the market, a trader is crossing a green field while sitting on his camel, in Bagega, pop. 9000, a large village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. It is mainly caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    33_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • People are visiting the market in Bagega, pop. 9000, a large village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. It is mainly caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    32_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Children are collecting underground water from a hand-pump in Bagega, pop. 9000, a large village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. It is mainly caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    31_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • A boy is collecting firewood on a tree in Bagega, pop. 9000, a large village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. The contamination is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    27_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Boys are playing pool in Bagega, pop. 9000, a large village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. It is mainly caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    26_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • A guard, a middlemen and two young workers are inspecting the gold retrieved on behalf of a gold trader, (in green) in 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 contamination is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    24_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • A worker is holding a piece of ore containing gold, in an artisanal processing site near Abare, a village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. The 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.
    19_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • At sunset, a farmer is leading his heard and passing near an artisanal processing site in Abare, a village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. 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.
    18_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • A young mother, Asnya Surajo , 25, is holding her daughter, Naimaatu Surajo, 4, a girl suffering from permanent brain damage and blindness, in Abare, a village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. Asnya lost six children: two miscarriages, and four while very young. Only her daughter Surajo was saved, but she survives as a suffering victim of lead pollution in the area. It is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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. Nearby, in Anka, doctors from Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF - Doctors Without Borders) are treating serious cases of lead poisoning, referred to them by local clinics in the surrounding villages. The treatment with MSF starts when blood lead level (BLL) samples reach 45 micrograms per decilitre. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that a BLL of 5 micro-g/dL or above is a cause for concern. The cycle of medicines lasts for 20 days. After that, the child's blood is tested and a new round of treatment is provided. Treatment can last years, as lead is reduced in the blood, but it persists noticeably within the bones, especially if the patients return to the same polluted environment. Remediation of the affected villages, a campaign of awareness, and the introduction of safer mining techniques are pivotal to the long-term solution of a hazardous trend that has already killed over 460 children, and it is bound to grow in size, fostered by the ever-rising price of gold.
    14_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Lukman Maigoro, 6, (right) a young boy suffering from blindness, is having breakfast with two of his siblings in Bagega, pop. 9000, a large village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. At the age of 4, Lukman became blind due to lead poisoning. He was cured at the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF - Doctors Without Borders) clinic in Anka, handling serious cases of lead poisoning referred to them by local clinics in the surrounding villages. It is mainly caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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. The treatment with MSF starts when blood lead level (BLL) samples reach 45 micrograms per decilitre. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that a BLL of 5 micro-g/dL or above is a cause for concern. The cycle of medicines lasts for 20 days. After that, the child's blood is tested and a new round of treatment is provided. Treatment can last years, as lead is reduced in the blood, but it persists noticeably within the bones, especially if the patients return to the same polluted environment. Remediation of the affected villages, a campaign of awareness, and the introduction of safer mining techniques are pivotal to the long-term solution of a hazardous trend that has already killed over 460 children, and it is bound to grow in size, fostered by the ever-rising price of gold.
    11_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • A boy is washing ore dust - and separating gold sediments from other metals - in an artisanal processing site near Bagega, pop. 9000, a large village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, Zamfara State, northern Nigeria.
    10_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Children playing on ore dust containing gold, and other metals like lead, in an artisanal processing site near Abare, a village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed in Zamfara State, Nigeria. The contamination is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    09_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Workers are digging ore dust to be washed to separate gold sediments from other metals, including lead. The gold will then be collected by mixing it with mercury, in an artisanal 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 mercury recovered is then burned, revealing unpolished pieces of solid gold. It will be purified in Gusau, where goldsmiths will add sulphuric acid to refine the gold and remove all the impurities. The contamination is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    05_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Workers are washing ore dust, separating gold sediments from other metals, to later collect it by mixing it with mercury, in an artisanal processing site near Abare, a village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. The mercury recovered is then burned, revealing unpolished pieces of solid gold. It will be purified in Gusau, where goldsmiths will add sulphuric acid to refine the gold and remove all the impurities. 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.
    04_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Workers are washing ore dust, separating gold sediments from other metals, to later collect it by mixing it with mercury, in an artisanal processing site near Abare, a village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. The mercury recovered is then burned, revealing unpolished pieces of solid gold. It will be purified in Gusau, where goldsmiths will add sulphuric acid to refine the gold and remove all the impurities. 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.
    03_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Sunita Kashap, 23, a housewife from the village of Bhanera Khemchand, pop. 2000, Saharanpur District, Uttar Pradesh, India, is portrayed while washing dishes near a hand-pump providing water contaminated with alarming levels of pesticides and heavy metals, on Wednesday, Mar. 26, 2008. Sunita is affected by a cancer on her right eye that has started to develop about two years ago. Doctors believe its cause to be the unsafe water she is drinking on an everyday basis.
    Slow_Poison_37.JPG
  • Boys are playing on a road of Jaibheem Nagar, pop. 10000, a large slum located near the banks of the Kali river (East), Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Sunday, Mar. 16, 2008. Due to the heavy metal contamination of underground water sources, many of the residents are forced to walk 2-3 kilometres to reach a safer hand-pump, and those who are unable to do so, have to drink unsafe water which is the cause of many of the diseases affecting the local population.
    Slow_Poison_43.JPG
  • Arun Kashap, 8, is taking a bath in a pool of water used for building purposes in Jaibheem Nagar, pop. 10000, a large slum located near the banks of the Kali river (East), Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Sunday, Mar. 16, 2008. Due to the heavy metal contamination of underground water sources, many of the residents are forced to walk 2-3 kilometres to reach a safer hand-pump, and those who are unable to do so, have to drink unsafe water which is the cause of many of the diseases affecting the local population.
    Slow_Poison_35.JPG
  • A young mother, Asnya Surajo , 25, is holding her daughter, Naimaatu Surajo, 4, a girl suffering from permanent brain damage and blindness, in Abare, a village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. Asnya lost six children: two miscarriages, and four while very young. Only her daughter Surajo was saved, but she survives as a suffering victim of lead pollution in the area. It is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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. Nearby, in Anka, doctors from Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF - Doctors Without Borders) are treating serious cases of lead poisoning, referred to them by local clinics in the surrounding villages. The treatment with MSF starts when blood lead level (BLL) samples reach 45 micrograms per decilitre. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that a BLL of 5 micro-g/dL or above is a cause for concern. The cycle of medicines lasts for 20 days. After that, the child's blood is tested and a new round of treatment is provided. Treatment can last years, as lead is reduced in the blood, but it persists noticeably within the bones, especially if the patients return to the same polluted environment. Remediation of the affected villages, a campaign of awareness, and the introduction of safer mining techniques are pivotal to the long-term solution of a hazardous trend that has already killed over 460 children, and it is bound to grow in size, fostered by the ever-rising price of gold.
    Stories_Portfolio_038.JPG
  • Children are sitting around Bagega, pop. 9000, a large village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. It is mainly caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    41_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Women are attending a local government clinic in Bagega, pop. 9000, a large village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. It is mainly caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    40_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Boys are playing pool at night, on the roads in Bagega, pop. 9000, a large village affected by lead poisoning due to the unsafe techniques employed for extracting gold, in Zamfara State, Nigeria. It is mainly caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    28_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • The chairman of a large artisanal gold processing site near Bagega, pop. 9000, Zamfara State, Nigeria, is exhibiting classy shoes while standing among his workers. 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.
    Stories_Portfolio_037.JPG
  • A goldsmith in Gusau, capital of Zamfara State, Nigeria, is burning sulphuric acid and gold, in order to remove last impurities. The lead contamination in artisanal gold extraction is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    07_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • An unlicensed miner is digging a new pit to extract ore containing gold, to be sold and processed in artisanal sites near Dareta village, Zamfara State, Nigeria. On October 28, 2011, in this very same mining site, four workers died buried under the ground when a pit suddenly collapsed. The lead contamination is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    02_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • A group of slum dwellers on the hills surrounding the tannery area of Jajmau are busy collecting fresh water being provided to the colony daily by the government in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The inhabitants are complaining that too little water is provided for the large population of the area, while in case of power cuts, a very common event in Kanpur, the pumping station can shut down completely for days at the time. Rows and arguments over water collection here are an unfortunate daily reality.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_41.JPG
  • A young girl from Joana, pop. 1800, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, is standing in front of her house. The inhabitants of the village are affected by the wastewater originated from the nearby Jajmau Industrial Area, the largest leather producing hub in India, discharging directly into the holy Ganges River.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_40.JPG
  • Workers in one of the larger tanneries within the Jajmau Industrial Area, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, are stockpiling pieces of leather while trimming impurities and scraps before proceeding to colouring and finishing.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_16.JPG
  • Workers in one of the large tanneries located in Jajmau area of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, are processing leather in chromium baths, or liming, while complying to little, if any, health and safety regulations.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_14.JPG
  • A young boy is removing contaminated water from a bath after the process of liming, the removal of hair and impurities with the use of water and various agents, in an illegal tannery unit inside Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Children are largely employed to work on scraps, or little pieces of skin, like the head and the ears of the animal, which will become a small bag, a wallet, or maybe a cheap phone leather case.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_10.JPG
  • A girl is standing inside the affected village of Bagega, pop. 9000, Zamfara State, Nigeria, next to a large artisanal gold processing site. The lead contamination in the area is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    Young_Villagers_Bagega_Zamfara_Portr...JPG
  • A boy is standing inside the affected village of Bagega, pop. 9000, Zamfara State, Nigeria, next to a large artisanal gold processing site. The lead contamination in the area is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    Young_Villagers_Bagega_Zamfara_Portr...JPG
  • A boy is standing inside the affected village of Bagega, pop. 9000, Zamfara State, Nigeria, next to a large artisanal gold processing site. The lead contamination in the area is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    Young_Villagers_Bagega_Zamfara_Portr...JPG
  • A boy is standing inside the affected village of Bagega, pop. 9000, Zamfara State, Nigeria, next to a large artisanal gold processing site. The lead contamination in the area is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    Young_Villagers_Bagega_Zamfara_Portr...JPG
  • A girl is standing inside the affected village of Bagega, pop. 9000, Zamfara State, Nigeria, next to a large artisanal gold processing site. The lead contamination in the area is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    Young_Villagers_Bagega_Zamfara_Portr...JPG
  • A truck driver and his co-workers are waiting to deliver their load of sugarcane inside the Daurala Sugar Works industrial complex, near Daurala village, Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Monday, Apr. 14, 2008. Sugarcane-related manufactories, like sugar mills and distilleries rank between the 17 most polluting industries by the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests and special conditions apply to the release of their wastewaters back into the environment. If Daurala Sugar Works, whose drain reaches the Kali river (East), have implemented a fairly efficient Effluent Treatment Plant, many in the sugarcane-rich area have not, and keep releasing contaminated water into nearby rivers. Even if levels of pollutants are believed to be largely reduced at the Complex, the Kali river (East) cannot absorb any more amount of wastewaters and its situation remains critically unhealthy... ..
    Slow_Poison_15.JPG
  • Doli, 5, (middle) from the village of Barnawa, pop.6000, Baghpat District, Uttar Pradesh, India, located along the banks of the severely polluted Hindon river, is shaking in the arms of her father, on Wednesday, Apr. 2, 2008. Doli is affected by a neurological disorder since birth. Doctors believe her condition to be associated to water contaminated with alarming levels of pesticides and heavy metals the family is drinking on an everyday basis. Her skull is underdeveloped and she has serious cognitive limitations that have left her unable to frequent school or carry on any sort of educational activity. The family is now using a nearby governmental hand-pump that provides better quality water in comparison to the 20ft deep private one they priory used.
    Slow_Poison_10.JPG
  • Women with their children are sitting on the floor of the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF - Doctors Without Borders) clinic in Anka, Zamfara State, Nigeria, handling serious cases of lead poisoning referred to them by local clinics in the surrounding villages. It is mainly caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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. The treatment with MSF starts when blood lead level (BLL) samples reach 45 micrograms per decilitre. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that a BLL of 5 micro-g/dL or above is a cause for concern. The cycle of medicines lasts for 20 days. After that, the child's blood is tested and a new round of treatment is provided. Treatment can last years, as lead is reduced in the blood, but it persists noticeably within the bones, especially if the patients return to the same polluted environment. Remediation of the affected villages, a campaign of awareness, and the introduction of safer mining techniques are pivotal to the long-term solution of a hazardous trend that has already killed over 460 children, and it is bound to grow in size, fostered by the ever-rising price of gold.
    Stories_Portfolio_039.JPG
  • An unlicensed miner is digging a new pit to extract ore containing gold, to be sold and processed in artisanal sites near Dareta village, Zamfara State, Nigeria. On October 28, 2011, in this very same mining site, four workers died buried under the ground when a pit suddenly collapsed. The lead contamination is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    Stories_Portfolio_033.JPG
  • Ibrahim Abubakar, 22, a man working in artisanal gold processing and mining, is holding his daughter, Fatima Abubakar, 1 year and 9 months. Ibrahim lost a two-yeal-old daughter Abdelmajid Abubakar, to lead poisoning, when he lived in a contaminated cluster of houses where 8 children died in a two-year spam. Fatima is healthy, as the families living in this heavily contaminated compound joined together and remediated the soil by removing tainted soil and replacing it. Many villagers in Zamfara state now claim to be working in agriculture, and to have nothing to do with gold, mainly because the health crisis that emerged. Given the lucrative option, locals believe that most people in the area are, in some way, involved in the gold business. The contamination is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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. The treatment with MSF starts when blood lead level (BLL) samples reach 45 micrograms per decilitre. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that a BLL of 5 ?g/dL or above is a cause for concern. The cycle of medicines lasts for 20 days. After that, the child's blood is tested and a new round of treatment is provided. Treatment can last years, as lead is reduced in the blood, but it persists noticeably within the bones, especially if the patients return to the same polluted environment. Remediation of the affected villages, a campaign of awareness, and the introduction of safer mining techniques are pivotal to the long-term solution of a hazardous trend that has already killed over 460 children, and it is bound to grow in size, alimented by the ever-rising price of gold.
    36_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • Doctors at Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF - Doctors Without Borders) are trying to reanimate Marhazu Sa'adu, 9 days old, a child suffering from blood lead level of 49.6 micrograms per decilitre, tetanus and septicaemia, inside the MSF clinic in Anka, Zamfara State, Nigeria. Marhazu passed away within the day. The MSF facility handles serious cases of lead poisoning referred to them by local clinics in the surrounding villages. It is mainly caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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. The treatment with MSF starts when blood lead level (BLL) samples reach 45 micrograms per decilitre. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that a BLL of 5 micro-g/dL or above is a cause for concern. The cycle of medicines lasts for 20 days. After that, the child's blood is tested and a new round of treatment is provided. Treatment can last years, as lead is reduced in the blood, but it persists noticeably within the bones, especially if the patients return to the same polluted environment. Remediation of the affected villages, a campaign of awareness, and the introduction of safer mining techniques are pivotal to the long-term solution of a hazardous trend that has already killed over 460 children, and it is bound to grow in size, fostered by the ever-rising price of gold.
    16_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • An unlicensed miner is taking a break from extracting ore containing gold, and other metals like lead, to be sold and processed in artisanal sites, near Dareta village, Zamfara State, Nigeria. On October 28, 2011, in this very same mining site, four workers died buried under the ground when a pit suddenly collapsed. The lead contamination is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    08_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • A young woman is covering her eyes during a sandstorm, in the heavily polluted city of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, the largest leather production hub in India.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_38.JPG
  • A young boy is using his bare hands to collect leather scraps a few meters away from the banks of the Holy Ganges River, in one of the illegal dumping and burning grounds surrounding the area of Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The scrap leather is destined to be boiled and reduced to a thin dust: the raw material for fertilisers and chicken food production.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_30.JPG
  • A child is sewing parts of what will be leather articles, inside a medium-size manufacturing unit in Jajmau Industrial Area, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_23.JPG
  • A labourer is moving a heavy load of half-processed leather destined to reach a new unit to complete another step of the production chain in Kanpu, Uttar Pradesh. In Jajmau Industrial Area the leather passes hand in hand many times before being ready for manufacturing stage. This 'outsourcing effect' creates a considerable risk for local underprivileged children to become involved in hazardous activities and subjected to exploitation.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_03.JPG
  • A young boy is walking on the hilltop surrounding the tannery area of Jajmau,<br />
Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, located on the most polluted stretch of the mighty Ganges River.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_01.JPG
  • A boy is standing inside the affected village of Bagega, pop. 9000, Zamfara State, Nigeria, next to a large artisanal gold processing site. The lead contamination in the area is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    Young_Villagers_Bagega_Zamfara_Portr...JPG
  • A boy is standing inside the affected village of Bagega, pop. 9000, Zamfara State, Nigeria, next to a large artisanal gold processing site. The lead contamination in the area is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    Young_Villagers_Bagega_Zamfara_Portr...JPG
  • A boy is standing inside the affected village of Bagega, pop. 9000, Zamfara State, Nigeria, next to a large artisanal gold processing site. The lead contamination in the area is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    Young_Villagers_Bagega_Zamfara_Portr...JPG
  • A girl is standing inside the affected village of Bagega, pop. 9000, Zamfara State, Nigeria, next to a large artisanal gold processing site. The lead contamination in the area is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    Young_Villagers_Bagega_Zamfara_Portr...JPG
  • A young worker is standing in the artisanal gold processing site of the village of Bagega, pop. 9000, Zamfara State, Nigeria. The lead contamination in the area 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.
    Young_Workers_Bagega_Zamfara_Portrai...JPG
  • A young worker is standing in the artisanal gold processing site of the village of Bagega, pop. 9000, Zamfara State, Nigeria. The lead contamination in the area 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.
    Young_Workers_Bagega_Zamfara_Portrai...JPG
  • Hash, a common by-product of paper mills is photographed on the side of a wheat field in the village of Saini, pop. 4000, Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, home to a large paper manufacture. The industry also discharges untreated wastewaters back into the Kali river (East), a tributary of the larger Ganges river, from which farmers collect water for irrigation purposes, thus allowing heavy metals and pesticides to enter the entire food chain.
    Slow_Poison_38.JPG
  • Sholo, a 12-year-old girl from the village of Bhanera Khemchand, pop. 2000, Saharanpur District, Uttar Pradesh, India, is portrayed in her house, on Wednesday, Mar. 26, 2008. Sholo developed a neurological disorder that have left her cognitive skills gravely affected at the age of 5. The doctor that has visited her at the time indicated contaminated water to be the cause of her illness. Her mother has to help Sholo everyday for all her basic needs.
    Slow_Poison_40.JPG
  • Residents of Jaibheem Nagar, pop. 10000, a large slum located near the banks of the Kali river (East), Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, are showing the contaminated yellow-coloured water from one of the hand-pumps many residents use as the only source for drinking and washing, on Sunday, Mar. 16, 2008.
    Slow_Poison_25.JPG
  • Women are collecting water contaminated with heavy metals and pesticides from a hand-pump on the streets of Jaibheem Nagar, pop. 10000, a large slum located near the banks of the Kali river (East), Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Sunday, Mar. 16, 2008.
    Slow_Poison_19.JPG
  • An elder villager is attacking Pardip, a 12-year-old boy from Simlana village, pop.4000, Saharanpur District, Uttar Pradesh, India, for no apparent reason, on Saturday, Mar. 29, 2008. Pardip developed a neurological disorder due to the long-term effects of consuming contaminated water at the age of two. Him and his family still use the 40 ft deep hand-pump located in their courtyard which provides water with large quantities of heavy metals and pesticides leaked through the ground from the nearby drains and the severely polluted Hindon river.
    Slow_Poison_21.JPG
  • A boy living in Jaibheem Nagar, pop. 10000, a large slum located near the banks of the Kali river (East), Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh, India, is playing near one of the contaminated water pools that regularly forms in the slum, on Sunday, Mar. 16, 2008. Due to the heavy metal presence within underground water sources, many of the residents are forced to walk 2-3 kilometres to reach a safer hand-pump, and those who are unable to do so, have to drink the polluted water which is the cause of many of the diseases affecting the local population.
    Slow_Poison_09.JPG
  • A gold trader is holding a piece of pure gold, extracted in Zamfara State, while standing in the Zamfara Gold Buyers and Sellers Cooperative Union in Gusau, Zamfara State, Nigeria. The contamination in artisanal gold extraction is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    Stories_Portfolio_034.JPG
  • The chairman of a large artisanal gold processing site near Bagega, pop. 9000, Zamfara State, Nigeria, is exhibiting classy shoes while standing among his workers. 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.
    06_Zamfara_Gold_Lead.JPG
  • A man is bathing in the polluted Ganges River in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, at dawn. Sustaining life for thousands of years along the Indo-Gangetic plains, the river's ecosystem is in grave danger of being damaged beyond repair.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_47.JPG
  • Shukaran Nishad, 10, is one of three children presenting a similar neurological disorder and living on the same road in Joana village, pop. 1800, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. He is portrayed while sitting in front of his father's little local shop. The village is located onto a series of drains joining the Ganges River nearby and the community is entirely reliant on the poisonous groundwater. Shukaran has serious cognitive and motorial limitations. His family cannot afford even a rudimental medication.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_45.JPG
  • Children are playing on the banks of a large drain flowing on the side of Joana, pop. 1800, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, a poor agricultural village affected by the untreated water discharged regularly in the Ganges River from the large industrial area located nearby.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_42.JPG
  • A small section of the slum located on the banks of the Ganges river within the tannery area of Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, is seen from a hilltop surrounding the area.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_39.JPG
  • A group of slum dwellers on the hills surrounding the tannery area of Jajmau are busy collecting fresh water being provided to the colony daily by the government from 4 am to 7 am and again from 5 pm to 6 pm in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The inhabitants are complaining that too little water is provided for the large population of the area.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_37.JPG
  • Labourers are collecting and dividing the thin black dust obtained by boiling leather scraps in one of the many dumping and burning grounds near the tannery area of Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. This dust is the first process to fertilisers and chicken food.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_28.JPG
  • Two labourers having a meal of boiled potatoes before beginning their daily work in one of the illegal dumping and burning grounds surrounding the area of Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. After being bathed in chromium and other chemicals to remove hair and impurities in a process called liming, the skins are examined by hand and the useless parts are cut and sent to one of these fields where they are boiled and reduced to a thin black dust. The resulting dark powder will then be used as a fertiliser or for the first stage of poultry food production.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_26.JPG
  • The owner of a small tannery in Jajmau Industrial Area, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, is showing the leather just painted in their unit. Arrived from somewhere else, painted by the two children I have witnessed working here, it will depart to reach other hands, and later become an item for sale. In Jajmau this is a daily reality and an intervention is needed to curb the practice.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_22.JPG
  • Two men are moving a heavy load of half-processed leather using a severed horse pulling a wooden cart to a new plant for further processing in Jajmau Industrial Area, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Knowing whether children were employed in the process is the real challenge when outsourcing leather in Kanpur.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_21.JPG
  • A labourer is moving a heavy load of half-processed leather destined to reach a new unit to complete another step of the production chain. In Jajmau Industrial Area, Kanupu, Uttar Pradesh, the leather passes hand in hand many times before being ready for the final product manufacturing stage. This 'outsourcing effect' creates a considerable risk for local underprivileged children to become involved in hazardous activities and subjected to lifelong exploitation.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_15.JPG
  • A young boy is collecting skins from a bath during the process of liming, the removal of hair and impurities with the use of water and various agents, in an illegal tannery unit inside Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Children are largely employed to work on scraps, or little pieces of skin, like the head and the ears of the animal, which will become a small bag, a wallet, or maybe a cheap phone leather case.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_08.JPG
  • Two young boys are collecting skins from a bath during the process of liming, the removal of hair and impurities with the use of water and various agents, in an illegal tannery unit inside Jajmau Industrial Area, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Children are largely employed to work on scraps, or little pieces of skin, like the head and the ears of the animal, which will become a small bag, a wallet, or maybe a cheap phone leather case.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_04.JPG
  • A section of the slum growing along Jajmau Industrial Area in a maze of houses and tannery units is seen from the surrounding hilltop. A local boy is flying his kite, in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
    Kanpur_Leather_Industry_02.JPG
  • A boy is standing inside the affected village of Bagega, pop. 9000, Zamfara State, Nigeria, next to a large artisanal gold processing site. The lead contamination in the area is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    Young_Villagers_Bagega_Zamfara_Portr...JPG
  • A boy is standing inside the affected village of Bagega, pop. 9000, Zamfara State, Nigeria, next to a large artisanal gold processing site. The lead contamination in the area is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    Young_Villagers_Bagega_Zamfara_Portr...JPG
  • A boy is standing inside the affected village of Bagega, pop. 9000, Zamfara State, Nigeria, next to a large artisanal gold processing site. The lead contamination in the area is caused by ingestion and breathing of lead 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.
    Young_Villagers_Bagega_Zamfara_Portr...JPG
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