Tell The UN To End Dirty Gold Mining In Nigeria
- by: Care2
- recipient: UN Environment Programme
Gold mining is a dirty industry: it can displace communities, contaminate drinking water, hurt workers, and destroy pristine environments.
Over the past six months, hundreds of Nigerian children have died because of lead poisoning from legal and illegal gold mining.
Although the UN and World Health Organization have investigated this deadly problem, they have not yet recommended that the miners cease operation. Even in villages that have been cleaned up, mining operations quickly resume, and the contamination continues.
Let the UN know that no metal is more precious than a child's life!
Dear UN-WHO Environment Program Representative,
We, the undersigned on this petition, ask for you to put an end to dirty gold mining practices in Nigeria.
Unsafe mining practices involving mercury have already resulted in the deaths of over 400 children under the age of 5. It's likely that this figure is an underestimation of the number of lives lost in the pursuit of gold.
This problem must be stopped, and new recommendations about "safe practices" won't be enough. These mining companies must know there are serious consequences for contaminating the air, water, and soil in Nigeria.
