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Paper short abstract:

This paper analyzes the relationship between speculations on the environment (floods, runoff, dumping), migrations, and technology (moving objects) and the health of workers in salt mines in West Africa. Senegal, Niger, Gambia and the Benin Republic are the chosen study countries.

Paper long abstract:

This paper, extracted from surveys carried out as part of a research project, analyses the links between salt extraction (science-society, development, and environment), migration and health in West Africa. Senegal, Niger, Gambia and the Benin Republic are the chosen study countries. The objective is to follow the trajectories of natives and migrant workers in the salt mines, but also to study their living and working conditions. The study is based on qualitative and quantitative empirical research in these four countries in West Africa. The research followed individuals, communities, households and focused on the processes of development, natural/environmental and social transformation that are currently taking place in these salt mines. The first trends of the results show that migrants are often an essential component of the exploitation of salt mines in West Africa, and exploiting salt represents for them a living. Alongside the migratory phenomenon, there are the various environmental speculations (often created voluntarily) which pollute the salt mines, and thus contribute to cut lots of jobs among the many salt workers, hence showing high levels of engaged or disputed responsibilities. The study shows the main diseases caused by salt mining, the stigmas and beliefs around these diseases, but also the main arguments that led to a strong reluctance to use iodine among "salt collectors" and consumers. These discourses on iodine, but also on own created "environmental pollution" are also interesting to elucidate, understand and analyze.