An epicenter of the contamination in Ruweng is the town of Pariang, whose mayor, Silvano Nuoi, had this to say about its effects: “Babies are born bearing wounds or are deformed, and we have no doubt that these distortions are caused by the wastes of petroleum. Other oil wasters-caused health problems include miscarriages and stillbirths, chronic itching and other skin diseases, brain and neurological degeneration, hypertension, nausea and many others.