‘Let’s protect children from mercury exposure’

 The government has been called upon to introduce stringent measures to protect children from their expo­sure to mercury in illegal mining activities, popularly known as “galamsey”.

OAfrica, a charity organisation focused on the welfare of children, further asked the government to enforce the laws and apply its 2020 National Action Plan to reduce mercury use in Artisanal and Small- Scale Gold Mining.

Francis Anipa, social worker at OAfrica, who made the call in Ac­cra yesterday, said the continuous use of mercury in galamsey activ­ities exposes mostly children and other residents of mining commu­nities to various health hazards.

He made the call after the premiere of an undercover doc­umentary which showed graphic evidence of the horrors children experienced while working in galamsey areas in the country.

Produced by Tiger Eye PI, an in­vestigative media organisation, the documentary exposed the negative impacts of illegal mining and its attendant consequences, includ­ing ecological destruction, human rights abuse, influx of illegal drugs, human trafficking for underage labour and prostitution.

According to Mr Anipa, the exposure of children to mercury during illegal mining activities poses severe health risks, includ­ing damage to the central nervous system.

“Mercury, when absorbed into the bloodstream, can penetrate the blood-brain barrier, leading to irreversible damage to the central nervous system.

This threatens the cognitive development and overall health of our children, robbing them of the potential for a healthy and prosper­ous future,” he stated.

Additionally, he noted that illegal mining was attractive to children as young as nine who lived in mining communities, thereby opting out of school. He noted that working in the mines promises easy money, therefore keeping children out of school.

He said that children were also exposed to drugs and illegal activ­ities, such as prostitution, adding that there was also the risk of persons falling into the open and flooded mines which were known to drown children every year.

“The investigation found that child labour, health hazards, limited access to education, environmental degradation, and social issues com­pound the impacts of galamsey,” he stated.

In view of the impending dan­ger, Mr Anipa mentioned that OA­frica was undertaking an awareness campaign on the grave threat of mercury poisoning in galamsey and its overall detrimental impact on children’s health and development.

Also, he said the group was advocating the implementation of stricter regulations to mitigate mercury usage in galamsey opera­tions and ensure the protection of children.

He added that the organisation would further empower local communities to actively resist and report instances of galamsey, fostering a collective effort to safe­guard our children.

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