In Nigeria's Zamfara State, many children have been affected by lead poisoning from unregulated mining activities. 163 people have already been killed and foreign experts as well as local health officials are dealing with the issue.

[Dr. Ian von Lindern, Technical Advisor, Blacksmith Institute]:
"I have been to the site several times, I have been here for three weeks now and we have done some sampling there and we have determined what we feel is the source of the problem and today we will begin to remove them and when we finish the village will be safe again for children."

Foreign agencies brought in special drugs to treat lead poisoning, while Nigerian medical officials screened villages and removed patients to treatment centers away from the exposure zone.             

Medical facilities are almost non-existent in the area, where informal gold mining is the main economic activity.             

Local officials say the high levels of lead in the water resulted from gold miners trying to separate gold from lead in illegal panning operations.

[Abdul Aliu, Local Government Official]:       
"In Dareta and some other villages we heard report of lead poisoning that mostly affected the children within the areas, and that's as result of wrong handling of ores... that is, lead ore and other ores when they are trying to strike gold as a result of that they used to process it in their domestic homes and surroundings thereby exposing their children to dangers of lead."

High levels of lead have contaminated water supplies in at least five communities in Zamfara state, close to where residents were illegally mining for gold.

Health workers are now educating and training local villagers to manage the clean-up themselves and to prevent a recurrence.

CORRECTION:

The first interviewee was incorrectly named in the video as Richard Fuller, President of Blacksmith Institute. The correct name is Dr. Ian von Lindern, technical advisor for the
Blacksmith Institute and CEO of Terragraphics Environmental Engineering.