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Editorial

Alarming lead content in metal cookware is wake-up call

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High amounts of lead contam­ination have been reported in ceramic and metal cookware, children’s toys, and cosmetics, all of which offer major health concerns to humans, particularly women and children.

This follows a study conducted by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and Pure Earth that revealed lead could contaminate food when cooked in metal cookware, particularly locally produced aluminum cookware known as “dadesen.”

Lead is a dangerous heavy metal that can affect children’s develop­ment permanently, specifically their behaviour and intellectual capacity.

The study, which included three ecological zones of the nation, found that youngsters in the study regions of Greater Accra and the Northern Regions were frequently exposed to and poisoned by lead.

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During a press conference in Ac­cra, it was disclosed that significant levels of lead were discovered in 77 percent of the pots examined.

It also showed that there was a lead contamination rate of 55 per­cent in metal cookware, 18 percent in ceramic cookware, 14 percent in children’s toys, and seven percent in cosmetics (local mascara), despite the fact that 93 percent of mothers in the Northern Region used the traditional eyeliner, “chilo.”

No one is safe because we all eat from metallic cookware, thus this is a significant issue that needs to be addressed right away. Since there is a very high exposure to lead when using these metallic cookware, it has been proven that eating from them puts people at risk for lead poisoning.

When lead exposure levels are high and permanent, it can have a severe impact on children’s intelli­gence and lead to anaemia.

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In addition, extended lead expo­sure may cause high Blood Pressure (BP), heart disease, kidney disease, and decreased fertility.

This is an urgent public health issue that needs to be addressed, especially because women and chil­dren are at risk.

Because lead poisoning has nega­tive effects on the developing baby’s brain and nervous system and leads to learning and other behavioural issues, pregnant women and young children are more susceptible to it.

Therefore, the government must take the required actions to set up safeguards for the citizens’ health.

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It is encouraging that the Envi­ronmental Protection Agency (EPA), as a result of the study, is supporting a lead prevention and reduction policy for the nation to reduce the use of lead in order to protect the environment, as stated by the EPA’s Executive Director, Dr. Henry Kwabe­na Kokofu.

He says that to develop lead prevention and reduction policy for Ghana, a high-level multi-sectoral ministerial committee made up of the Ministry of Environment, Sci­ence, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI), Ministry of Health (MoH), and Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) may be established with assistance from Pure Earth and UNICEF.

It is also reassuring to know that the Agency will work with other regulators to develop the necessary standards for lead concentration in conventional aluminum cookware as well as the action plan on lead prevention and reduction. These regulators include the Ghana Stan­dards Authority (GSA), the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), and others.

The EPA is taking steps to make sure that harmful production meth­ods used in artisanal and informal recycling activities are restricted.

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The Spectator applauds the EPA’s suggestions and calls on manufactur­ers to adhere to the rules in order to protect consumer safety.

We also hope that the govern­ment will give medical personnel the resources they need to inform the public about the risks associated with lead exposure.

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Editorial

No life should be lost over allegations

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Dear Editor,

The recent death of Nana Yaw, also known as Dinero/Terry, has left various communities deeply shaken over the circumstances under which a life was lost.

Reports suggest that he went missing after a phone transaction in Teshie and was later found dead. Allegations have circulated that he visited a female friend despite having a pregnant wife at home.

Even if such allegations were true, does that mean he deserved to die? The answer is no. Infidelity is a moral failing, but it is not a crime punishable by death. To suggest otherwise is to normalize violence and diminish the value of human life.

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This tragedy should remind us of the urgent need for justice and accountability. His family especially his expectant wife deserves compassion, not judgment. As a community, we must reject victim‑blaming and focus on preventing such senseless losses in the future.

Nana Yaw’s death is not just a personal tragedy, it is a call to action. 

We must demand thorough investigation, ensure those responsible are held accountable, and commit ourselves to building a society where disagreements and mistakes do not end in violence.

Princess Wonovi, 

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Dansoman

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Editorial

Take quick action to rebuild Percheyire R/C Basic School

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The situation at Percheyire R/C Basic School in the Yilo Krobo district is a warning concerning Ghana’s rural education facilities as pupils in Primary four through six are forced to learn inside a building of mud walls, worn-out roofing sheets, and rotting wooden pillars.

It is more than just an infrastructural shortfall. It indicates a fundamental failing of public safety and educational justice. 

Every day, when pupils and teachers arrive at school, their safety is in danger because a school building has such fundamental flaws that it could collapse during a storm.

The classroom is now a hazard rather than a haven for learning for the 30 upper primary pupils and their teachers. A single extreme weather event could cause a mud construction to fall dangerously because it depends on makeshift timber pillars. 

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These children are routinely deprived of the instructional hours that the national curriculum promises them when the arrival of rain inevitably necessitates the suspension of classes to save lives, books, and furniture. 

A deeper systemic problem is revealed when Rev. Elizabeth Korasare, a former teacher, reveals that this identical arrangement has not changed in 38 years. 

Some proponents contend that local government institutions like the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the District Assembly are solely to blame for the main failure. Actual rehabilitation has been postponed due to administrative inactivity, despite official site visits and reports submitted by the school administration. 

According to this viewpoint, there is a problem with the way emergency educational funds are allocated and prioritised when a community school is left in a dangerous condition for decades while waiting for budgetary allocations.

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This point of view highlights the necessity of corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and public-private collaborations. When state machinery fails, supporters contend that combining corporate money with citizen mobilisation provides a more flexible way to replace deteriorating structures.

It is a pity that Percheyire R/C Basic School’s surrounding infrastructure worsens the school’s structural deterioration. Children travelling from nearby communities like Togodo are severely restricted in their access due to an inadequate road network.

When more than 60 school-aged children in a single nearby town are cut off from regular attendance due to distance and bad roads, the school’s capacity to raise the district is substantially limited. A contemporary classroom block will only be successful if students can get there safely.

The lives of Percheyire’s pupils and teachers are at risk, therefore the Spectator is pleading with the Yilo Krobo District Assembly and other interested parties to rebuild the primary block.

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