Spatial Acoustics

What Are the Effects of Eating Clay Soil?

Sophia Al-Mansoor Oct 18, 2026 6 min read

What is the story behind What Are the Effects of Eating Clay Soil? Read our comprehensive breakdown in this feature article.

Now researchers have shown that this practice can also be detrimental to health: pregnant women who consume particular types of soil display higher levels of lead contamination – as do their babies. Up to 80% of people in Africa, especially women, regularly eat clayey soil -- this habit is known as geophagy.