The effects of mercury poisoning are so dire that some women bear children impaired by heavy metal. Stillbirths are also common in the area. Some children are born healthy but are later affected by prolonged exposure to mercury fumes. The health complications witnessed in Nyatike support the findings of a recent study by IPEN, a global network of organisations working towards the elimination of toxic chemicals, which found that the use of mercury by pregnant women posed serious and substantial threats to their health and to babies in utero. The report said 71 per cent of women from three gold mining sites in Kenya had elevated mercury levels of 0.58 ppm (parts per million, the measure of mercury concentration) in hair samples, with 44 per cent exceeding the 1 ppm threshold.
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