The Breast Society of Ghana has urged those involved in illegal mining, or galamsey, to halt their activities due to the serious threat it poses to public health.
The society highlighted the dangerous chemicals used in galamsey, which are causing a surge in health issues, including birth deformities and an increase in cancer cases.
During a media interview following the launch of Pinktober 2024, a breast cancer awareness campaign, Dr. Hannah Ayettey Anie, president of the society, emphasized the need for an immediate end to galamsey to safeguard public health.
“These chemicals [used in illegal mining] are injurious to the body. And as for what we will end up finding out, even for cases where we have had radiation disasters and all, we have realised that eventually it led to malformed children and all. So we don’t know what this will lead to in the long run.
“[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 because you may think you are isolated doing your own thing somewhere but it will affect you, it will affect your neighbour, it will affect the society as a whole.”
