Drinking water around an oil-producing area in South Sudan is heavily polluted. A German NGO puts the blame on Malaysian oil company Petronas. It has also become a subject of embarrassment for carmaker Daimler. Klaus Stieglitz came across the problem of drinking water by chance. “In 2007, one of our project partners informed us that the water tasted bad,” he said. Stieglitz and his colleagues at the aid organization “Sign of Hope” went ahead to investigate the situation in South Sudan. They collected water samples near the oil fields in Thar Jath in Unity State. The analysis showed that the taste was the smallest problem. Water from some wells had a salt content almost four times higher than allowed. Now Sign of Hope has presented the results of another study in Berlin. It is based on analysis of 96 hair samples collected in four locations. Toxicologist Fritz Prangst evaluated the results. The professor from the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences at Berlin’s Charite Hospital, says the findings represent “a threat to the population.” Traces of lead and barium Samples from the areas around the oil fields were full of lead and barium. The worst hit location was Koch, 14 miles away from the oil field. The exposure to lead there was four times higher than the average. On the other hand, In Rumbek, about 137 miles…