Babies born to mothers who lived within 10km (six miles) of an oil spill before they were conceived in Nigeria are twice as likely to die, a new report claims.
The Swiss study described the findings as an “alarming human tragedy”.
Researchers at the University of St Gallen discovered the infant mortality increased by around 38 per 100,000 births if the mother lived near an oil spill before conception.
This, the report estimates, means oil spills could be responsible for the deaths of as many as 16,000 babies within their first month of life.
Babies are particularly vulnerable to oil-related pollution, due to being in a critical development period and having not developed certain defences, the report says.
Report co-author Roland Hodler told The Guardian the results were “absolutely shocking”.
This is a tragedy. Even four to five years prior to conception, an oil spill still matters. I think this should be seen as a first-world problem for something to be done.”
The report calls for a further investigation into the issue.
