Long-Term Health Consequences of Artisanal Gold Mining Exposure in Zamfara State: A Prospective Occupational Cohort Study

The 2010 lead poisoning mass casualty event in Zamfara State, attributed to artisanal gold ore processing, revealed catastrophic public health consequences that persist beyond acute incidents, yet longitudinal prospective evidence on the cumulative health burden of ongoing artisanal mining exposure in the affected communities remains absent. This study establishes and follows a prospective occupational cohort of artisanal gold miners and co-residing community members in Zamfara State over a five-year period, examining the longitudinal health consequences of mercury, lead, silica dust, and cyanide exposure across three study sites in Anka, Maru, and Birnin Magaji local government areas. A dynamic cohort design enrols 1,200 participants at baseline (600 directly occupationally exposed and 600 community-exposed controls), with annual follow-up assessments tracking neurotoxic outcomes using standardised neuropsychological test batteries, pulmonary function through spirometry, renal function through serum creatinine and urinary biomarker panels, and haematological parameters. Biomonitoring includes blood lead levels, urinary mercury, and pulmonary silica burden markers. Environmental sampling documents ambient lead, mercury, and particulate concentrations at mining and residential sites. Generalised estimating equations and mixed-effects models in Stata estimate annual incidence rates and exposure-response relationships. The Multiple Chemical Exposure Model and Environmental Epidemiology causal inference framework provide the theoretical basis. The original contribution is the first long-term prospective cohort in an African artisanal mining community, producing a definitive exposure-health outcome dataset. Findings will directly inform Nigeria National Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining Policy and national toxic substance control regulation. Keywords: artisanal gold mining, occupational cohort, lead poisoning, mercury exposure, Zamfara State.