"It is a pattern seen in various parts of the world — children being sickened from exposure to lead from mining activities. But the scale of the problem in Nigeria’s gold-mining region of Zamfara is unprecedented: More than 400 children have died and thousands more have been severely poisoned by exposure to lead dust."
Elizabeth Grossman reports for Yale Environment 360 March 1, 2012.
"GENEVA -- John Scanlon, secretary-general of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES, Tuesday expressed 'grave concern' over the recent poaching of close to 450 elephants in Bouba Ndjida National Park in northern Cameroon."
"NAIROBI, Kenya -- The United Nations said Friday that Somalia's famine is over, but the world body's Food and Agricultural Organization warned that continued assistance is needed to stop the region from slipping back."
"An offshore rig exploring possible oil and gas fields off Nigeria's coast for Chevron caught fire Monday, and the oil company said officials were still trying to account for all those working there."
"Chevron said two workers were missing and 152 others found, but gave no further detail on the missing persons.
The company said it was still investigating the fire, which occurred near its North Apoi oil platform, and which forced it to shut down."
"ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigerian officials have suspended fishing off the southern coast after about 40,000 barrels (1.7 million gallons) of crude oil was spilled from a Shell production platform in the Bonga oil field.
The oil leaked into the Atlantic Ocean on December 20, 2011 during what the company called a "routine operation" to transfer oil to a tanker from Shell's Bonga floating production, storage and off-take vessel.
"Large numbers of infants and toddlers have died from lead poisoning in Nigerian villages where their parents process gold ore inside their family compounds, according to a report published Tuesday by an international team of researchers."
"GENEVA -- The U.N. children's agency says almost 2,500 people have died in one of the biggest cholera outbreaks western Africa has ever seen."
"The world is tantalisingly close to eradicating guinea worm disease, which would make it only the second disease of humans to be wiped from the planet, according to former US president Jimmy Carter."
"Nairobi, Kenya, and Johannesburg -- More than 60 people died Monday in a densely populated Nairobi slum after an explosion and fire caused by gasoline from a leaking pipe. At least 116 badly burned people, many of them children, were taken to hospitals. Many were not expected to survive, as medical staff struggled with shortages of blood for transfusions."
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