The CEO of Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Henry Kwabena Kokofu, is collaborating with other ministries to develop a Lead Prevention Policy to address lead exposure.
The EPA is also intensifying educational efforts to raise awareness about the risks associated with lead.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra, Dr. Kokofu stated, “the EPA will then move ahead and recommend that a high-level multi-sector ministerial committee, including the Ministry of Science, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, may consider establishing a lead prevention and reduction policy for Ghana with the support of Pure Earth and UNICEF.”
These actions have become imperative following a recent study that revealed elevated levels of lead contamination in popular metal cookware known as ‘dades3n’ across four regions in Ghana. The Global Rapid Market screening study, conducted by the environmental NGO Pure Earth’s Blacksmith Initiative, identified concerning levels of lead in consumer products and food items produced in low and middle-income countries, including Ghana.
The study found high levels of lead contamination in various items, with metal cookware (‘dades3n’) at 55%, ceramic cookware at 18%, children’s toys at 14%, and local mascara cosmetics at 7%.
A World Bank report also highlighted the severe impact of lead exposure on cognitive development, indicating that children under 5 years old worldwide lost a significant amount of IQ points due to lead exposure, particularly in low and middle-income countries.
Country Director for Pure Earth, Esmond Wisdom Quansah, emphasized the risks of lead poisoning associated with using metallic cookware.
He mentioned that the study results were consistent across multiple experiments, urging public awareness and consideration of alternatives to mitigate further damage.
“Children under 5 years old worldwide lost 765 million IQ points, those living in low and middle-income countries lost 729 million IQ points.”
“There is an average loss of 5.9 IQ points per child and this IQ points loss is 80% greater than the previous estimate,” the report stated.
Quansah revealed that leach tests conducted on the metallic or aluminum cooking pots showed that 52% of the pots tested had lead leaching in concentrations greater than the reference level of 10 ug/L. Although repeated leaching reduced lead levels, it remained above the 10 ug/L reference level in most cases, raising concerns about the safety of such cookware.
“What this points to is that we are not safe, if you happen to be eating from any of these metallic or ‘dades3n’ cookware we are at risk of lead poisoning.”
“We’ve grown a step further, our scientists have conducted what we call the leach test to determine the percentage of leach of this lead concentration in this metallic or aluminum cooking pot into the food and we were surprised by the findings of the scientists.”
“52% of the pots tested leached lead in concentrations greater than our reference level of 10 ug/L. The repeated leaching “boils” in pots in general resulted in lower lead in leachate, although lead remained above the 10 ug/L reference level in most cases, so that is a cause for concern for everyone and that is why we are putting this information in the public,” he explained.