The study is the first to link environmental pollution with newborn and child mortality rates in the Niger Delta.

The study by Switzerland’s St Gallen University shows that oil spills occurring within 10km of a mother’s place of residence doubled neonatal mortality rates and impaired the health of her surviving children.

Crucially, oil spills that occurred while the mother was still pregnant had no effect on child or neonatal mortality. But even spills that happened five years before conception doubled the neonatal mortality rate from 38 deaths to 76 deaths for every 1,000 births, the data found.

Profressor Roland Hodler from the Swiss university describes the results from the study as absolutely shocking.

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