In Nigeria, lead poisoning claims 163

"We have recorded 163 deaths, including 111 children since January from lead poisoning in Zamfara state as a result of illegal mining," Henry Akpan, the Nigerian Health Ministry's chief epidemiologist, told AFP on Friday.

The children were poisoned through "inhalation or hand-to-mouth contamination," he further explained.

The Nigerian government has prohibited the illegal gold mining and is making efforts "to contain the epidemic" by conducting an environmental clean-up drill.

International organizations including the World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Medecins Sans Frontieres have embarked on an information campaign to handle the issue by warning the residents about the health risks of illegal mining.

According to Akpan, the country's health officials are conducting clinical tests on affected people "to determine those that require urgent medical intervention."

Tools, soil and water contaminated with toxic lead are the main reasons behind the deaths.

"This is an emergency situation," Reuters quoted Richard Fuller, president of Blacksmith Institute dedicated to eliminating life-threatening pollution in the developing countries, as saying.

"We are racing against the clock to remove toxic lead from the houses now before the rains come in July and spread the pollutant," he concluded, PRESS TV reports.

See www.presstv.ir