The devastating impact of illegal mining ravages, as a new environmental study has uncovered dangerously high levels of mercury, arsenic, lead, and other heavy metals across Ghana’s artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) regions.
This is raising urgent alarms for public health, food safety, the environment, and the economy.
The year-long study, conducted by Pure Earth in collaboration with Ghana’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), paints a disturbing picture. From poisoned soils and polluted water to toxic fish and vegetables entering the food chain, the galamsey menace deepens, threatening public health.
Mercury Contamination “Off the Charts”
The report cited by The High Street Journal reveals that at Konongo Zongo in the Ashanti Region, soil samples contained 1,342 parts per million (ppm) of mercury. This is more than 130 times the internationally recognized safe limit.
In Wassa Kayianko, air quality tests revealed mercury concentrations of 150 μg/m³, exceeding Ghana’s permissible limit by the same margin.
Such levels, health experts warn, can cause severe neurological disorders, respiratory diseases, and irreversible damage to children’s development.
Arsenic at Deadly Levels
The study also found arsenic levels up to 10,060 ppm in Konongo Zongo soils, a staggering 4,000 percent above safe thresholds. Even more alarming, drinking water in Konongo Odumase contained 3.3 mg/L of arsenic, far beyond World Health Organization (WHO) standards.
Long-term exposure can cause cancers, skin lesions, and organ failure.
Lead in Fish and Food
The contamination extends to Ghanaian dinner tables. Fish caught in Akwaboso and Konongo Zongo registered lead levels up to 2.8 mg/kg, while vegetables from Western North carried up to 3.1 mg/kg. Both, the studies say, exceed WHO food safety limits.
Lead exposure is notorious for damaging the nervous system, impairing children’s learning abilities, and causing kidney failure in adults.
Water Sources Under Siege
Boreholes and streams tested across multiple regions showed widespread contamination from arsenic and lead. For many rural communities that rely on these water sources, every glass consumed poses a hidden long-term health risk.
A Galamsey Time Bomb
These findings underline the devastating footprint of galamsey. The unregulated use of mercury in gold extraction, combined with poor waste management, has left behind toxic landscapes and poisoned ecosystems.
This is not just an environmental issue; it is a public health emergency that has a severe impact on the country’s meager financial resources.
Beyond the statistics, children exposed to toxic metals face stunted growth and cognitive impairment; families unknowingly consume contaminated fish and vegetables; farmers see their soils rendered infertile.
The experts warn that urgent steps are needed. These include stricter enforcement of mining regulations, investment in mercury-free gold extraction technologies, and large-scale remediation of contaminated sites. Communities must also be educated on the risks, while health facilities prepare to deal with heavy metal-related illnesses.
