March 7 Public Health Forum to Examine Lingering Effect of Oil Pollution in Nigeria.

Donna Vorhees, an adjunct assistant professor of environmental health, was the principal investigator for the public health component of a United Nations survey that detailed the extent of decades of rampant oil pollution in parts of Nigeria.

At the request of the Nigerian government, a multinational team of researchers from studied the extent and effect of decades of pollution and released a report last August. Several oil companies have operated within the oil-rich Kingdom of Ogoniland for more than 50 years, often building drill rigs and pipelines close to established communities. Field teams observed local villagers in direct and regular contact with contaminated land and water.

Despite several large-scale spills over the past decade that attracted international attention, most oil contamination has been going on for decades without effective cleanup – if at all.

 Vorhees surveying oil contamination

Public Health Forum

Conflict, Oil Spills and Public Health: The Case of Nigeria

Donna Vorhees, ScD

Senior Scientist, Science Collaborative

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Environmental Health at BUSPH

Wednesday, March 7 from noon – 1 p.m.

Rm L-112