By Helena Selby
The short life span of the average Ghanaian citizen has mostly been attributed to various kinds of diseases. Apart from the failure of the people adjusting themselves to good diet and their involvement in motor accidents which causes their early death majority of death in the country is are as a result of many kinds of diseases. According to studies the average Ghanaian lifespan is between the ages of 50 and 60 years. People die before their retirement age making it impossible for them to fully extend their knowledge and experience to the younger generation.
The government spent most of its resources in the prevention and eradication of diseases just to keep the citizens healthy and the labour force progressive. The waging of war by government against diseases in the country is a good initiative towards the achievement of one of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) which declares the combating of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases by the year 2015.
On the verge of the government' combating diseases it must give priority to diseases caused by excessive pollution. Pollution especially air pollution has been one of the major causes of diseases and death in the country. Even though little attention is given to its nature, it is one of the situation which poses threat to health of the many Ghanaians. Air pollution, river pollution and other related pollution has the tendency of damaging the various organs of the human body.
Pollution in Ghana
Pollution on the Ghanaian environment is one thing which is not restricted by law even though there are existing by-laws which fights against it. The metropolitan assemblies which are responsible for the good keeping of the environment have their attention on the clearing of rubbish and the decongestion of slum areas but ignore the act of pollution by the citizens of the country. As it’s not considered an offence to pollute the environment many people tend to pollute the air by indiscriminate burning and smoking irrespective of where they find themselves.
Pollution and burning of e-waste at Abgobgloshie, Accra and effect on children
In the opinion of the United Nations Environmental Programme, 20-50 million tonnes of electronics are discarded each year, with 70% of these products being shipped to the poor countries, including Ghana. These e-waste products are deposited at the Abgobgloshie by people with the intention extracting certain metals and wires from them. The process of extracting these metals and wires, are mostly done with child labour and it involves the breaking apart burning of the products, which end up releasing toxic elements like lead, mercury and brominated flames, to pollute the atmosphere of the surroundings. The burning of these wastes results into water bodies for fishing and drinking to be polluted and what is more, the air in such areas is also being polluted. Who knows what kinds of diseases and illnesses can result from that?
According to SCIENCE DIRECT, a website on health, exposure to lead can have a wide range of effects on a child's development and behaviour. Even when exposed to small amounts of lead levels, children may appear inattentive, hyperactive and irritable.
Children with greater lead levels may also have problems with learning, reading, delayed growth and loss of hearing. At high levels, lead can cause permanent brain damage and even death. Early identification and treatment of lead poisoning, reduces the risk, thus preventing the children from suffering permanent damage. Treatment begins with removal of the child from the sources of the lead, while medications can remove lead from the body. With the rate at which lead has serious consequences on children, it is no wonder children at the Abgobgloshie dumping site tend to over react at the slightest provocation. Moreover the effect of lead on the children has made some of them lose interest in education.
Moreover burning of these electronic waste does not only pollute the air but water bodies as well and as a result has aquatic lives die out making others who fish for their livelihood lose their source of income, especially those in the fishing occupation, with the reason that the degradation of the land has brought about the contamination of the lagoon, resulting in the destruction of marine life.
Pollution, rubbish burning and its effects
Smoking can be considered the as one of the commonest kind of pollution but burning of rubbish on the Ghanaian environment is highly the commonest. Many Ghanaians are addicted to the old way of burning rubbish and toilet papers. The presence of waste trucks has not fully solved the situation as not all communities in the country get access to them; even those who get access to it do not get the chance to meet them due to their work schedules. If view of this many people find burning of their rubbish as the simplest solution to discard it. However little do they know the health risk of this attitude of theirs.
According to research the toxic smoke from open fires comes from burning plastics, treated wood, white paperboard, slick or bleached papers, foam mattresses and furniture foam. Even if a healthy adult does not suffer immediate effects such as headaches or nausea, the damage can be more serious the longer you are exposed to the smoke. The effects can include damage to your lungs, nervous system, kidneys, liver and well as chronic diseases such as bronchitis, emphysema and cancer, which can take many years to develop, can be caused by exposure to smoke and toxins. Moreover children can be at much greater risk, because of their body size; they inhale more air per pound of body mass than do adults, and can absorb a proportionately larger "dose" of toxins.
The health risks associated with burning rubbish come not only from inhalation of the pollutants released into the air but from the consumption of contaminated food when these toxic particles are deposited in water, soil, crops and farms which later is consumed again.
Pollution and smoking
Smoking in public is one of the commonest kinds of pollution in Ghana as it is not considered an offence. Many smokers regardless of the health implication they impose on the people, they smoke where ever they find themselves. As many Ghanaians are not aware of the health risk of catching smoking related diseases, they are not prompted leave the presence of a smoker but rather stay to inhale. According to World Health Organization (WHO) passive or non-smokers are at greater risk of getting lungs cancer heart diseases and even cardiac death. Over 600 studies undertaken by experts’ link passive smoking or the inhalation of tobacco smoke by non smokers, increases the risk of lung cancer, heart diseases and respiratory diseases. The international labour organization estimates also show that 200,000 workers die as a result of exposure to passive smoking in the workplace.
Conclusion
If the Ghanaians want to have a fully sound health, then they must consider ending the habit indiscriminate burning. It is about time citizens and government think of saving money and under taking developmental projects rather than always spending on the eradication of diseases. Many years of independence from the white man should be enough to build developmental projects to support the nation. It is up to the citizens especially to stop the habit of pollution especially air so as to make the nation a safe place to live. The government is not responsible for teaching the people what is right from wrong it is up to them to decide since it is for their own good.
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