According to studies, the average Ghanaian lifespan is between 50 and 60 years. People die before their retirement age (60 years), making it impossible for them to fully impart their knowledge and experience to the younger generation.
The government spends 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 the government against diseases in the country is a good initiative towards the achievement of one of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which declares the combating of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases by the year 2015.
While the government is combating diseases, it must also give priority to diseases caused by excessive pollution.
Pollution, especially air pollution, has been one of the major causes of diseases and deaths in the country. Even though little attention is given to its nature, it is one of the situations which poses a threat to the health of the many Ghanaians. Air pollution, river pollution, and other related pollutions, have the tendency of damaging the various organs of the human body.
Pollution in Ghana
Pollution in the Ghanaian environment is one thing which is not restricted by law, even though there are existing by-laws which fight 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 air pollution by the citizens of the country.
As it is not considered an offence to pollute the air, many people tend to pollute it by indiscriminate burning and smoking, irrespective of where they find themselves.
E-waste pollution and its 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 off 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 and burning of the products, which end up releasing toxic elements like lead, mercury, and brominates to pollute the atmosphere of the surroundings.
The result of the burning of these wastes is that it contaminates water bodies, and the air in such areas. 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.
The burning of these electronic wastes does not only pollute the air, but water bodies as well, and as a result destroys marine life, making others who fish for their livelihood lose their source of incomes, with the reason that the degradation of the land has brought about the contamination of the rivers and lagoons.
Pollution, rubbish burning and its effects
Smoking can be considered the as one of the commonest kinds of pollution, but the burning of rubbish in the Ghanaian environment is by far 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, and even those who get access to it complain of erratic and poor service.
In view of this many people find the burning of their rubbish the simplest solution to discarding it. However, little do they know the health risks of this attitude of theirs.
According to research, toxic smoke comes from the burning of plastics, treated wood, white paperboards, 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 chronic diseases such as bronchitis, emphysema and cancer, which 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, as they inhale more air per pound of body mass than adults, and can absorb a proportionately larger "dose" of toxins.
The health risks associated with the 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.
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 are regardless of the health implication they impose on the people when they smoke wherever they find themselves.
As many Ghanaians are not aware of the health risks of catching smoking-related diseases, they are not prompted to leave the presence of a smoker, but rather stay and inhale smoke released by smokers.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), passive or non-smokers are at greater risk of getting lung 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, to an increase in lung cancer, heart and respiratory diseases.
The International Labour Organisation estimates also show that 200,000 workers die as a result of exposure to passive smoking in workplaces.
Conclusion
If Ghanaians want to have sound health, then they must consider ending the habit indiscriminate burning. It is about time the citizens and government think of saving money and undertaking developmental projects, rather than always spending on the eradication of certain 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 to stop the habit of pollution, especially the 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.
