Heavy metals from galamsey are damaging women’s reproductive health

Dr. Padi Roland Ayertey, CEO and Medical Director of Elimmas Health, has raised concerns about environmental pollution and heavy metals from illegal mining activities, also known as galamsey are increasingly affecting women’s reproductive health.

In an interview with Off the Lens on OnlineTimesGH, Dr. Ayertey highlighted the growing impact of environmental toxins, including microplastics and contaminated water from galamsey operations.

“Galamsey polluting our water, the drinking water is now being severely affected, and contains heavy metals, and those heavy metals are damaging to our health and also cause you to have abnormal children. It damages your health. It damages your reproductive system. It damages the actual egg and the sperm, and then results in abnormal babies,” he said.

Dr. Ayertey explained that exposure to these environmental hazards, coupled with lifestyle factors such as excessive alcohol use, smoking, certain medications, and chronic stress, is progressively impairing reproductive health.

“We may have a whole generation that is going to suffer problems for this, because to get it back out of the system, 50 years, 100 years, it’s going to affect their generation,” he added.

The fertility specialist also linked modern societal pressures, including long commutes, high-stress jobs, and strained relationships due to geographic separation or work commitments, as contributing to difficulties in conceiving.

“Stressful circumstances do not even allow you to have sex at the right time, pregnancies become challenges, and if you have so much stress at work, it affects every aspect of your life,” Dr. Ayertey noted.

He emphasized that understanding the cumulative effects of environmental toxins and lifestyle pressures is critical to safeguarding reproductive health

Click the link below to watch the full interview…