Jeff Rigsby Profile picture
Aug 22 45 tweets 9 min read Read on X
Afghanistan has one of the world's highest rates of childhood lead exposure, which causes permanent brain damage.

افغانستان در جهان دارای یکی از بلندترین سطوح مواجهت اطفال با سرب است، که این امر باعث آسیب دایمی مغزی میشود. Image
Nearly all children here have significant lead poisoning.

تقریبا تمام اطفال افغانستان مواجه با مسمومیت جدی سربی هستند.
Researchers in the US have found the source of the lead. But nobody has told the Afghan public.

محققین در ایالات متحده امریکا توانسته اند منبع این معضله (مسمومیت سربی در اطفال) را دریابند. اما به مردم افغان هنوز درین مورد هیچکس معلومات نداده است.
A worldwide survey in 2020 found that one in three children had blood lead above 5 micrograms per deciliter (μg/dL). That's considered the threshold for lead poisoning.
یک تحقیق جهانی در سال ۲۰۲۰ نشان داد که سطح سرب در خون در یک سوم اطفال بیشتر از پنج مایکروگرام فی دیسی لیتر بود. این سطح سرب در خون سرحد مسمومیت سربی شمرده میشود.
Children in Afghanistan have an average blood lead level of 14.2 μg/dL, nearly three times the cutoff.

سطح سرب در خون اطفال در افغانستان به طور اوسط ۴. ما کرو گرام ف د س ل تر هست، که تقر با سه چند سطح است که باعث مشکلات صح م شود.
And the vast majority of Afghan kids have blood lead above the 5 μg/dL level.

اکثر اطفال افغانستان دارا سطح سرب در خون ب شتر از ۵ ما کرو گرام ف د س ل تر هستند.
Lead exposure in children causes irreversible losses in intelligence.

مواجه شدن اطفال با سرب باعث آس ب دا م ذهن م شود که به ه چ صورت قابل معالجه ن ست.

It also predicts violent behavior in adulthood.

ا ن امر باعث رفتار خشونت آم ز طفل در آ نده ن ز شده م تواند.
Some people think the fall in US crime rates in the 1990s was partly caused by the ban on lead paint and the phaseout of leaded gasoline, which both began two decades earlier.
بعض از مردم به ا ن باور اند که ک از اسباب کم شدن سطح جرم در ا الات متحده در سالها م لاد ممنوع ت استفاده رنگ دارنده سرب و همچنان توقف استفاده پطرول دارنده سرب بود، که ا ن هردو امر حدوداً ب ست سال قبل عمل شده بودند.
Lead has damaging effects on other organ systems too.

سرب همچنان تأث رات ز ان بار بالا اعضا س ستم ها د گر بدن انسان ن ز دارد.
According to the WHO, some of its hazards include "increased risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems and kidney damage":
who.int/news-room/fact…
به گفته سازمان بهداشت جهان (WHO)، بعض از ا ن تاث رات عبارت اند از : "ب شتر شدن خطر فشار بلند خون، مشکلات قلب عروق ، و متضرر شده کل ه ها"
So if Afghanistan has one of the world's worst lead exposure problems, people should know where the lead is coming from.

پس اگر افغانستان در جهان بدتر ن مشکل قرار گرفتن در معرض سرب را دارد، مردم با د بدانند که منبع ا ن سرب کجا است.
There are a few possible suspects.

در نجا چند ن منبع احتمال سرب وجود دارد.
South Asia as a whole has the world's highest burden of lead poisoning.

به صورت عموم آس ا جنوب در جهان بزرگتر ن مشکل مسموم ت سرب را دارد.

And in Bangladesh the problem turned out to be turmeric.

در بنگله د ش منبع ا ن مشکل زرد چوبه بود. Image
The spice was being adulterated with lead chromate, a pigment that makes it a brighter shade of yellow.

ا ن ادو ه با کروم ت سرب کجا م شد که باعث روشن شدن رنگ زرد ا ن ادو ه م گرد د.
What happened in Bangladesh was ultimately a success story:


اتفاق که در بنگله د ش رخ داد ک روا ت کام اب بود.vox.com/future-perfect…
It showed that when a major source of lead contamination can be located, the problem is sometimes easy to fix.

ا ن واقعه نشان داد که اگر منبع آلودگ سرب مشخص شود، حل ا ن مشکل ممکن کار ساده باشد.
I think that may be true in Afghanistan too, but the evidence has been overlooked.

من به ا ن باور هستم که ا ن امر بالا افغانستان هم صدق م کند، اما تا به حال تمام اسناد ناد ده گرفته شده اند.
The cosmetic use of kohl is another risk factor for lead exposure in this part of the world.

استفاده سرمه برا ز با در ن مناطق ک عامل خطر د گر است کا باعث قرار گرفتن در معرض سرب م باشد. Image
Kohl is supposed to be powdered stibnite (antimony sulfide).

سرمه با د از پودر ست بنا ت ا سلفا د آنت موان (عنصر ک م او با سمبول Sb) بدست آ د. Image
But stibnite looks very similar to galena (lead sulfide), and the two minerals are often found in the same locations.

اما ست بنا ت شب ه گالن (سلفا د سرب) است، و ا ن دو منرال اکثر در ک مکان پ دا م شوند. Image
So kohl sold in India tends to have very high levels of lead. Kohl is banned in the United States for just that reason.

سرمه که در هند به فروش م رسد دارا سطح بلند سرب م باشد. به هم ن دل ل استفاده سرمه در ا الات متحده امر کا ممنوع است.

fda.gov/cosmetics/cosm…
In Bangladesh, the adulteration of turmeric with lead pigment mostly stopped after government inspectors began spot checks at the country's spice markets, using handheld XRF spectrometers.
در بنگله د ش تغ ر زرد چوبه با رنگ دارنده سرب وقت تقر باً از ب ن رفت که مفتش ن دولت آزما شات ناگهان را با استفاده از ط ف سنج (XRF Spectrometer) در مارک ت ها دارو کشور شروع کردند. Image
But that isn't the most urgent priority for Afghanistan, where the major source of lead exposure is probably already known.

اما به افغانستان ا ن کار در اولو ت قرار ندارد، چون آنجا بزرگتر ن منبع آلودگ سرب به گمان اغلب معلوم هست.
It just isn't known here.

فقط ا نجا ا ن عامل معلوم ن ست.

Since 2019, health officials in Seattle have been finding elevated blood lead levels in Afghan immigrant and refugee children.
از سال ، مسؤول ن صح در شهر س اتل مسلسل سطح بلند سرب را در خون اطفال مهاجر ن افغان مشاهده م کنند.

And in 2022, four local researchers published a paper which solved the mystery.

و سال گذشته، چهار محقق مقاله‌ای در مجله منتشر کردند که این معما را حل کرد.
The lead is coming from cooking pots the families brought with them from Afghanistan.

ا ن سرب از ظروف آشپز که فام ل ها افغان با خود از افغانستان آورده اند به م ان آمده بود.

nature.com/articles/s4137…
The most hazardous pots tested were a type of aluminum pressure cooker called a 𝘬𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘯.

پر خطر تر ن ا ن ظروف ک نوع از د گ بخار المون م بود که بنام کازان اد م شد. Image
The authors' simulated cooking and storage tests released very high levels of dissolved lead.

شب ه ساز پخت و پز و نگهدار غذا نو سندگان آن مقاله در ا ن د گ نشان دهنده رها ساز سرب منحل به سطح بس ار بالا بود.
The US Food and Drug Administration has now issued an "import alert" against Rashko Baba, the dominant manufacturer of 𝘬𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘯𝘴.

اداره مل غذا و ادو ه ا الات متحده حالا «هشدار ورود» عل ه راشکو بابا، بزرگتر ن تول د کننده کازان صادر کرده است.
Afghans in Afghanistan weren't told anything.

به افغانان که در افغانستان اند چ ز در ن مورد گفته نشده است.
Children here are less intelligent than children in most countries, because of something their mothers cook with every day.

اطفال افغان به مقا سه اطفال اکثر ممالک د گر کمتر ذه ن هستند، به سبب چ ز که روزانه مادران آنها در آن به ا شان غذا م پزند.
In January 2020 Radio Azadi, the Pashto service of RFE/RL, filmed a short video inside Rashko Baba's 𝘬𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘯 factory in Nangarhar.

در جنور راد و آزاد ، که خدمات پشتو بخش راد و آزاد اروپا هست، ک و د و کوتاه از داخل کارخانه کازان راشکو بابا در ننگرهار پخش کرد.
Tens of thousands of people saw workmen melting down car engines and radiators to cast into Afghanistan's leading brand of pressure cooker:

ده ها هزار مردم مشاهده کرده که چگونه کارگران ماش ن ها موترها و راد اتور ها را ذوب کرده از آن پرفروشتر ن نوع د گ بخار افغانستان را م سازند


But nobody seems to have pointed out that anything cooked in those pots will be unfit for human consumption.

اما ه چکس به ا ن نکته اشاره نکرده که چ ز که در ن د گ پخته شود قابل خوراک انسانها ن ست.
The IEA should close the Rashko Baba plant tomorrow. Arresting the company's owners wouldn't be a bad idea either.

امارت اسلام افغانستان با د کارخانه راشکو بابا را فردا ببندند. دستگ ر کردن مالکان ا ن شرکت هم ا ده ا بد نخواهد بود.
But any aluminum 𝘬𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘯 made in Afghanistan or Pakistan is probably recycled scrap metal.

اما هر د گ کازان المون م که در افغانستان ا پاکستان تول د م شود غالباً که از بازساز ضا عات فلز م باشد.
According to the Seattle researchers, this is how it works in Africa:

به گفته محقق ن س اتل، در افر قا ا ن کار به ا ن شکل صورت م گ رد.
"The smelting process often used drinking cans, car and motorbike engine parts, vehicle radiators, transmissions, airplane fuselages, lead batteries, computer and electronic components, and other materials."
"پروسه ذوب کار عموما از قط ها فلز نوشابه ها، پرزه جات ماش ن ها موتر و موتر س کل، راد اتور ها موتر، گ ر بکس ها موتر ها، بدنه ط اره ها، بطر ها سرب ، پرزه جات کمپ وتر و محصولات الکترون ک ، و مواد د گر استفاده م شد."
So if you own one of these things, destroy it.

پس اگر شما ک از ا ن د گ ها را دار د، آنرا از ب ن ببر د.
You can buy pressure cookers made from stainless steel, and they won't poison your children's brains.

شما م توان د د گ بخارها که از فلز ضد زنگ ساخته شده است استفاده کن د، و آن د گ ها مغز ها اطفال شما را مسموم نمک نند. Image

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More from @JeffRigsby2

Aug 21
I said the other day that nobody knows whether kohl in Afghanistan is contaminated with lead. That was wrong.

Thread.
Image
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Lead in Afghan kohl (𝘬𝘢𝘫𝘢𝘭 or 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘮𝘢) was confirmed in 2013 by public health officials in the US.

Two Afghan immigrant children, siblings aged 20 months and 4 months, were diagnosed with high blood lead: 27.0 µg/dL in the older child and 33.5 µg/dL in the younger one.
Image
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In the US the threshold for intervention is 3.5 µg/dL—lowered from 5.0 µg/dL, because that level is now known to be unsafe.

The Department of Health ruled out several possibilities, including metal kitchenware.

But the 𝘬𝘢𝘫𝘢𝘭 the parents had brought with them was 54% lead. Image
Read 6 tweets
Aug 18
Afghanistan has one of the world's highest rates of childhood lead exposure, which causes permanent brain damage.

Nearly all children here have significant lead poisoning.

Researchers in the US have found the source of the lead. But nobody has told the Afghan public.

Thread.
Image
Image
A worldwide survey in 2020 found that one in three children had blood lead above 5 micrograms per deciliter (μg/dL). That's considered the threshold for lead poisoning.

Children in Afghanistan have an 𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 blood lead level of 14.2 μg/dL, nearly three times the cutoff. Image
(Wikipedia: "Lead poisoning")

And the vast majority of Afghan kids have blood lead above the 5 μg/dL level.

Compare that to the worst recent case of lead poisoning in the United States, which happened a few years ago in the city of Flint, Michigan.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_wat…
Read 27 tweets
Aug 14
I said I'd write something about SIGAR's new report on cash shipments to Afghanistan, which you can read here:



But I've been hesitating, because people who should understand this subject better than me seem to be getting it wrong.

So here goes.

Thread. sigar.mil/pdf/evaluation…
Image
What's especially odd is that SIGAR published another report on this topic in January, which at least showed a grasp of the basic concepts involved:



But the new report is fundamentally confused. And the confusion seems to originate from the World Bank.
So you can see why I didn't want to tweet about this.

I have a BA in economics but it doesn't help much in this context. These are fairly technical issues.

But I'm now convinced that the World Bank's Afghanistan reports, on which SIGAR relies, are misrepresenting the situation.
Read 29 tweets
Aug 9
I've been down with some kind of virus but I did promise Obaidullah Baheer I'd write a thread about US aid to Afghanistan.

The claim that the US gives the Taliban "$40 million per week" popped up again a few days ago, I think because of some recent Shawn Ryan podcasts.

Thread.
The main people involved in spreading these allegations are all sniping at each other just now, but the mysterious "CIA tracker" Sarah Adams does make an important point that's often obscured.

There are two distinct claims being made about US financial support for the Taliban. Image
One is that a large share of the humanitarian aid that Congress has budgeted for Afghanistan is being skimmed off by the IEA or by entities affiliated with it, such as government-controlled NGOs.

In other words: it's a claim that the US government is being deceived or defrauded.
Read 30 tweets
Aug 2
School of Leadership-Afghanistan has just done something unusual with its accounting.

They've changed their year-end from December to June, which required them to submit a one-off IRS filing for the first six months of 2023.

Their new Form 990 deserves a closer look.

Thread.
Image
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SOLA has also made changes to its "governing documents", which I don't think are publicly available.

There's nothing wrong with a charity's changing its fiscal year, of course. In fact it's nice to see the school's mandatory financial disclosures coming earlier than expected. Image
The first change I see has to do with executive compensation.

See the green box at the bottom of the previous page?

SOLA now says its directors and board members are unpaid. That's a change from 2022, when Shabana Basij-Rasikh and her VP Elise Riegel drew substantial salaries.
Image
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Read 21 tweets
Jul 19
Melinda French Gates is apparently still doing this. She's decided that Shabana Basij-Rasikh is among the "philanthropic leaders" who deserve a $20 million unrestricted grant.

Thread.
Image
What's baffling about this is not just French Gates's choice of recipients—although Basij-Rasikh isn't the only one with a dubious track record—but the underlying logic of the gifts.

If she thinks certain projects or organizations are deserving, she can donate to them directly.
Instead she's outsourcing the final decisions about how this $240 million component of her philanthropy should be spent.

Perhaps she doesn't think she and her advisors at Pivotal Ventures are best qualified to make those decisions, and expects the recipients to do a better job.
Read 20 tweets

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