A/HRC/18/30 face; their emotional well-being as they become prone to mood swings and irritability; their neuromuscular system leading to muscle atrophy, twitching, headaches and changes in nerve responses; and their cognitive functions are impaired. If exposed to higher levels of mercury, this affects the kidneys and can result in respiratory failure and death.19 Mercury has been found in the bodies of children working in artisanal gold mines in the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Peru, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe.20 59. Toxic chemicals like mercury are able to seep into the soil and water supply thereby affecting food and water. These artisanal communities often lack basic services such as potable drinking water, electricity and medical services. Continued exposure to a polluted environment and contaminated water can manifest itself in acute respiratory problems and skin ailments if not immediately then in adulthood (see A/HRC/18/30/Add.2). 60. Lead, the mineral, is also used in the extraction of gold and impacts on the neurological development of children. In 2010, the World Health Organization found lead poisoning in Nigerian children (some younger than 5 years) as a result of working directly in the extraction of gold and environmental lead contamination. Local villagers had noticed a high number of deaths and convulsions in young children, which is believed to be associated with the use of lead in gold-mining.21 61. Children endure physically demanding work where they have to carry heavy loads and stand, dive or squat for long hours. The physical demands have an effect on children’s osteo-muscular development. A survey of children working in artisanal goldmining in Mongolia reported that majority of them reported suffering from aches in the limbs and backbone.22 Another survey reported that they suffered from kidney and urinary diseases and exhaustion. During a mission to Ecuador, the Special Rapporteur witnessed children stunted in growth as a result of poor nutrition and working in mining (A/HRC/15/20/Add.3). 62. To mine underwater, children dive into open muddy wells, which are normally 2 metres wide and 7 metres deep. Wearing crude eye masks which inhibit their vision and with the aid of oxygen from a compressor, the children extract soil in the hope that it contains gold. The children work for 3–5 hours underwater in a squatting position anchoring themselves with their elbows or knees. They face the risk of asphyxiation and suffocation underwater. This type of mining has been reported in places like Philippines (see E/C.12/MDG/CO/2). 19 20 21 22 14 Bose-O’Reilly, S. et al., “Mercury as a serious health hazard for children in gold mining areas”, Environmental Research, May 2008, vol. 107, No. 1, pp. 89–97. Ibid.; see also Drasch, G. et al., “Health Assessment of Artisanal Gold Miners in Indonesia” (2010); Bose-O’Reilly, S., “Health Assessment of Artisanal Gold Miners in Tanzania” (2010); and “Child Labour in Gold Mining”. WHO, “Nigeria: Mass lead poisoning from mining activities, Zamfara State”, 22 June 2010. Available from http://www.who.int/environmental_health_emergencies/events/nigeria_lead/en/index.html (accessed on 8 April 2011). T. Navch et al., Informal Gold Mining in Mongolia: A Baseline Survey Report Covering Bornuur and Zaamar Coums, Tuv Aimag (Geneva, ILO, 2006), p. 14.