The significant use of heavy metals used in gold extraction by galamsey operators causes cognitive impairment and other malformations in children born in areas susceptible to unlawful mining.
Prof. Paul Poku Sampene Osei, Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at the KNUST School of Medical Sciences and Consultant Pathologist at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), makes this remark.
“The first thing that affects these babies when they are infected by these toxins is cognitive impairment; their brains do not respond to these normal things that we see,” he said.
The bloodstreams of miners and citizens of mining areas are consumed and breathed with common metals used in the extraction of gold, such as mercury, cyanide, and lead.
When they consume contaminated food or breathe in these pollutants, children and babies can absorb up to 50% of the heavy metals. Adults are capable of absorbing 15%–25% of the metals.
“The child’s gastrointestinal tract has a very high affinity to all those metals, which includes lead,” noted the pathologist.
On Luv Fm, Prof. Sampene Ossei participated in a discussion about the negative effects of illegal mining on safety and security.
He claims that in some countries, infants are often delivered with their legs wrapping around their stomach, neck, and chest.
“In Ghana, we have babies being born with one eye, without genitalia,” said Prof. Sampene Ossei, adding that some mothers die with their babies.
“The placenta of a pregnant woman has a high affinity for lead. So if such a woman lives in a galamsey area, her baby will certainly have deformities when born,” he said.
The kids have hypertension- and kidney-related disorders.
