President-Fertility Society of Ghana (FERSOG), Dr. Rudolph Kantum Adageba, has linked toxic chemicals like mercury and cyanide – commonly used in mining activites – to long-term health issues associated with their exposure.
These substances can severely damage reproductive health, he cautions. They include risks of infertility, DNA abnormalities and other long-term health issues.
Consequently, Dr. Adageba called for stricter enforcement of mining regulations to address these pressing concerns and prevent further harm to the population.
In a related development, a US-based engineer, Dr. Juliet Ohemang-Ntiamoah, has also disclosed that some food items from Ghana have been found to contain high levels of heavy metals.
Therefore, the effects of galamsey affects even Ghanaians domiciled in the USA. Indeed, she claims she sent yam samples to a friend working at the Ghana Standards Authority for laboratory testing – only to be told high levels of heavy-metals were found in the sample.
Thus, even those of us resident in urban areas are not excluded from the risk that unbridled illegal mining poses to us all; and that is why a national civil campaign is being waged to bring duty-bearers’ attention to the need for intervention to save lives in the present and future.
Government has until October 10th for an adequate response to an intended nationwide strike action by Organised Labour – aimed at drumming home the galamsey menace to the nation at large.
Dean-University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) Law School, Professor Kofi Abotsi said illegal mining, aka galamsey, poses a significant challenge to the state’s law enforcement capabilities.
Indeed, substantial political influence has complicated efforts to address the problem. Financiers of political parties, complicity of office-holders and seeming nonchalance of the whole enterprise has caused analysts to warn that the potential nationwide strike could have serious repercussions, affecting various sectors of the economy.
This therefore calls for decisive action from government to avert widespread disruption.
