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The Breast Society of Ghana has called for an immediate halt to illegal mining, locally known as galamsey, due to its serious public health risks. The organization raised concerns over the dangerous chemicals used in these mining operations, which have been linked to a growing number of health issues, including birth defects and cancer.
Health experts have noted an alarming rise in deformities among newborns and increased cancer cases as a result of unregulated mining activities. Speaking at the launch of Pinktober 2024, a breast cancer awareness campaign, Dr. Hannah Ayettey Anie, president of the Breast Society of Ghana, emphasized the urgent need to end galamsey to safeguard public health.
“These chemicals [used in illegal mining] are injurious to the body,” Dr. Anie warned. “In cases where we’ve had radiation disasters, we eventually found that it led to malformed children. We don’t know what this will lead to in the long run.”
She further stressed the broader impact of illegal mining on communities: “[Galamsey] is definitely harmful. So we also want to use this platform to tell people, all those who are involved in this galamsey and illegal mining to stop, so that we don’t end up hurting ourselves. You may think you are isolated doing your own thing somewhere, but it will affect you, it will affect your neighbor, it will affect the society as a whole.”
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