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The damaging
effects of e-waste on Ghanaian children
Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghanadot
Accra, April 19, Ghanadot - The
United Nations Environmental Programme estimates that
20-50million tones of electronic wastes (e-wastes) are
discarded each year throughout the world, whilst 70% of
these products end up in poor
countries including, Ghana.
Another research shows that about
90% of electronic product imports
to Ghana are junk, obsolete and do
malfunction.
One wonders how these electronic wastes find their way into
developing countries, like Ghana, despite the Basel Ban
Amendment, under the Basel Convention, which prohibits the
exports of e-wastes from developed countries to developing
countries.
According to Mike Anane, a United Nations (UN) Environment
Laureate, business people get round the Basel Ban by
labeling shipments as usable second hand goods or donations
to charities.
These electronic products contain an array of toxic
materials, including mercury, lead and brominated flames,
and therefore are destined for disposal in their countries
of origin.
Accra, Ghana’s capital town. to be
precise Agbogbloshie, and some parts of Koforidua, Eastern
Regional capital are being turned into dumping sites for
e-wastes of all trade marks or names.
The situation in Agbogbloshie is becoming more dangerous,
with the number of electronic wastes escalating daily.
Sadly, Agbogbloshie is one of the biggest markets in the
city of Accra and also serves as the food
market for most of the people in the Accra
metropolis.
The market is situated on a flat land alongside the Densu
River. During heavy rainfall periods, the area becomes flooded
and carries dust and soil containing chemical contaminants
from the e-wastes into the adjacent, low-lying lagoon and
the Densu River, which then flows
into the sea.
Unfortunately, close to the banks of the lagoon, is
the principal depot for the collection of
of the electronic waste.
Residents told Ghanadot that whenever
it rains garbage dumped there is carried into the lagoon,
and because of this, the lagoon
which once supplied fresh fish no longer
supports fishing because the garbage has destroyed all
living things in the lagoon.
Looking at the rate of contamination and destruction,
one could say that human rights
are being abused. The land
on which the e-waste sits, once suitable
for farming or gardening, has been made unfertile.
The dumping ground at the Agbogbloshie
still serves as a holding pen for market animals like goats,
sheep and cattle, These are eventually slaughtered and
end up in the food stream with the e-waste contaminants.
It is disheartening to see children collecting
parts of the e-waste which they think are
useful without regard to the toxic nature of the collected
items. Often, they sell some of these parts for
pittances and at great risk to their health.
According to health experts, exposure of children to lead
(chemical) can have a wide range of effects on children’s
development and behaviour. When exposed to small amounts of
lead children may become
inattentive, hyperactive and irritable.
In addition to this, children with greater lead levels may
also have problems with reading, learning, delayed growth
and loss of hearing which can lead to permanent brain damage
and even death.
It has also been observed that
both children and adults living around the Agbogbloshie
dumping site tend to overact at the slightest provocation,
a behaviour some health specialists attribute to the effects
of e-waste in the area.
The Agbogblshie area is highly attractive
to truants. According to Musah Abu,
a denizen of Agbogloshie, a class
six pupil would prefer going to the
dumping site to hunt for treasure
to sell for a few coins, rather than going to school.
He said they dismantled the electronic wastes for copper and
other useful metals, without putting on any protective
equipment. This exposes them daily to lethal doses of
hazardous chemicals like mercury and lead.
Ghanadot
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