Researchers from the University of Sankt Gallen have found that neonatal mortality rises if a child’s mother lives close to an oil spill before conception. Niger Delta resident Annkio Briggs still remembers the days when she could simply draw water from her family’s well without having to worry about it being contaminated. “I grew up drinking water from a well in my grandfather’s house. We just used to take a clean bucket, lift water up and drink it”, Briggs, now an environmental campaigner, told DW. “Nowadays the water is polluted. I cannot drink it anymore, although it is a natural source meant for me and my people”, the 65 year old said. He has since resorted to buying bottled water. Persistent spills in Nigeria’s oil producing region have not just contaminated water resources. Residents are also exposed to harmful chemicals found in crude oil through direct skin contact or […]