ACCRA, Sept 27 (The African Portal) – Illegal mining in Ghana, widely known as galamsey, is contributing to rising cases of miscarriages, kidney disease and birth defects due to heavy metal contamination, a forensic pathologist said on Saturday.
Paul Poku Sampene Ossei, a forensic histopathologist and former head of pathology at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, said his ongoing research had linked at least 500 cases of spontaneous abortions to heavy metals found in the placenta.
“I have about 500 cases where women go to the hospital and abort their babies because of the concentration of these heavy metals in their placenta,” Sampene said on JoyNews’ Newsfile programme.
He said his study, based on more than 4,000 placentas examined across Ghana, showed dangerous levels of contamination on both the maternal and foetal sides. “The placentas are all contaminated, polluted with heavy metals,” he added.
Sampene said the health risks extended beyond pregnancy loss. “Do we have what it takes to even solve the kidney diseases that are coming out now? Dialysis is very expensive, and nobody gets it for free. Children are also being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. These are the realities we have to face,” he said.
He added that doctors in mining areas had reported rising cases of birth deformities but were reluctant to speak publicly. “Most of them fear coming out, but it is happening,” he said.
Sampene, who has been studying the impact of illegal mining since 2019, criticised politicians for failing to act.
“Sometimes I feel very sad indeed when politicians come to sit on air and try to tell us who did what and who is doing what. It saddens my heart. Galamsey is really killing us,” he said.
Citing data from Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, he said between 2019 and 2021, drowning accounted for 40% of unnatural deaths in Ghana’s Ashanti region, with 25% of those deaths linked to abandoned mining pits.
He also warned against the use of alum (aluminium hydroxide) to treat polluted water caused by mining. “It is going to cause kidney problems, mutations in the respiratory tract, and Alzheimer’s disease. These are proven health risks,” he said.
Calling for a bipartisan approach, Sampene appealed to the two main political parties to address what he described as a public health emergency.
“I would have wished that the two main political parties, NDC and NPP, come together and say enough is enough. Otherwise, if care is not taken, we will soon see people walking but with very high cognitive impairment. Mercury inhalation alone can damage the brain. We are seriously in trouble,” he said.
