In 2010 , thousands of people were inadvertently exposed to lead-containing soil / ore from informal gold mining within the northern state of Zamfara . While estimates vary , it is thought that upwards of 400 children died of acute lead poisoning , making this perhaps the largest lead poisoning fatality epidemic ever encountered . As of 2016 , efforts to manage the exposure are ongoing
Zamfara
Zamfara State lead poisoning epidemic
Nigeria