Deaths Caused by Another Poisoned Source of Drinking Water

"I read the news today, oh boy..."

This line from the Beatles song, 'A Day in the Life,' came to mind as soon as I read the article from Mining.com about children in Nigeria dying after drinking water from a stream that was poisoned by illegal gold mining. Lead and water don't mix. Who knew?!?

Of course, we all know better, but poverty in countries like Nigeria—as well as greed—play a role around the world in putting drinking water sources in jeopardy. 

This time it's Nigeria, but where will the next news come from? Water is a human right, and while it is threatened by corporate greed, we must not forget that it is also threatened by poverty. We should all be concerned about potable water sources being compromised anywhere in the world.

So, here's the news headline that caught my attention today:

             At least 28 Nigerian children killed by lead poisoning from illegal gold mining

Children work at the gold processing site in Bagega, Nigeria, in 2012
(Courtesy of Olga Overbeek/MSF) on Mining.com

Excerpt from the article at Mining.com:

        At least 28 children under the age of five have been killed by drinking stream water polluted with lead in Nigeria's Niger state, the country’s health minister Fidelis Nwankwo unveiled Friday.

        According to the country’s officials illegal gold mining is the main cause of the tragedy that has left dozens more in critical conditions.

        "The devastating impact of this outbreak is associated with new mining sites which were found to contain more leaded ores which are often brought home for crushing and processing," minister Nwankwos told reporters, according to AP.

        Doctors found the victims had levels of lead in their blood that were 17 to 22 times higher than acceptable limits as established by the World Health Organization.

The article states that it was illegal gold mining that lead to polluting the drinking water source.

Read the full article from Mining.com here: http://www.mining.com/at-least-28-nigerian-children-killed-by-led-poisoning-from-illegal-gold-mining/?utm_source=digest-en-au-150517&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=digest