By Alex Ababio and Isaac Nsiah Foster
KNUST, KUMASI – A leading forensic scientist has issued a stark warning, declaring that the contamination of Ghana’s water bodies through illegal mining is an act of war against the nation. He revealed chilling new research linking the crisis to a surge in spontaneous abortions, infant deformities, and chronic diseases.
In an exclusive and extensive interview with Ghanaian Watch at the Medical Science Department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Forensic Histopathologist Prof. Dr. Paul Poku Sampene Ossei implored citizens to rise up and act with utmost seriousness, stating that waiting for the government could be a death sentence for loved ones.
“Poisoning Water is a War Crime”
Prof. Dr. Sampane, the former Head of Pathology at KNUST and the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), drew on international law to frame the severity of the situation.
“The World Health Organization has international humanitarian legislation that speaks against contamination of water bodies,” he stated. “This means when one contaminates or poisons water bodies, it is equal to declaring war on that particular country.”
He explained the grim logic with palpable urgency.
“If someone poisons your water, he has caused a war crime, and that is exactly what is happening today in the country. It means that the person wants to eliminate everybody in the country and the other neighbouring countries. Unless the government and Ghanaians accept the consequences and say it is ok that you have poisoned our waters and declared war on us, and we will still play with you, but I don’t think the country should allow that.”
He firmly placed the responsibility not just on the state but on every citizen.
“It is not only government alone who should act to stop that but the entire citizens should rise up and act seriously. The citizenry should not wait for the government to act; we should know that by the time the government comes to decide to protect us, by then your loved one might have gone or died with mercury poisoning from water, food, and air.”
A Nation in Peril: From Womb to Kidney
The professor’s warning is grounded in disturbing scientific findings from his own research. He disclosed to Ghanaian Watch that he has examined over four thousand placentas from different regions, all contaminated with heavy metals.
“What is happening is that the placentas are all contaminated and polluted with heavy metals. I am talking about the cord that supplies the nutrients, and the baby gets food through the mother. All these things have heavy metals,” he revealed.
This contamination, he said, has dire consequences.
“I have about five hundred cases where women have gone to the hospital and aborted their babies because of the concentration of these heavy metals in their placenta.”
He is currently researching spontaneous abortions linked to this pollution.
“I have examined over four thousand placentas from different regions in Ghana, and in them I found heavy metals present in both the cord and the placenta itself. I am talking about the umbilical cord that supplies nutrients, through which the baby gets food from the mother. We have the maternal side and we have the foetal side — and all these contain heavy metals.”
Rising Infant Deformities Reported by Doctors
Prof. Dr. Sampane revealed he has been contacted by doctors from Prestea, Bogoso, Wassa Akropong, and Bibiani.
“They tell me that they are recording a lot of deformities in our babies. Most of them are afraid to come out because they fear for their lives,” he said.
According to him, private hospitals often bury the deformed babies, sometimes sending him samples for examination.
How the Fetus Absorbs Poisons
He explained the biological mechanism: a developing fetus absorbs 90% of any pollutant, including heavy metals, that enters the mother’s body.
“The developing child — whether referred to as the fetus or the embryo — depends wholly on the mother for everything, including water, air (oxygen), and food,” he explained. “The mother is solely the provider, and it’s through the placenta that all these essentials reach the child.”
He added:
“When it goes into the placenta and the child absorbs it, everything the child absorbs comes from the mother — whether poisonous or otherwise. After absorption, the child will take and keep 90 percent of whatever is in the system, especially heavy metals or other contaminants and pollutants. The child takes 90 percent. So only about 10 percent is excreted back through the placenta and then through the mother.”
Pollutants Are Bio-Accumulative
The scientist described how pollutants gradually accumulate.
“All these pollutants, when absorbed, accumulate little by little, and then it becomes bigger,” he explained. “If the child absorbs 90 percent of it, it’s going to pile up until such time that…”
Critical Stages of Embryo Development
The professor further explained that pollutants pose serious risks during embryogenesis, the critical stage of fetal development.
“One thing we also know is that the child, in the development stage, goes through a series of what we call embryogenesis,” he said. “Embryogenesis means the processes or stages through which the child develops. For example, one stage is the formation of the limbs — both upper and lower limbs. Another stage involves the development of the eyes and the mouth. Every organ has a specific time that it forms.”
He warned that exposure to contaminants at these stages could lead to deformities.
“If at the time the child has absorbed a high amount of pollutants or contaminants, they can interfere with the true formation of these organs. That’s the reason why you get all the deformities.”
Heavy Metals Attack DNA and the Brain
“These metals can damage DNA, create cognitive impairments, and cause mutations,” he said, stressing the devastating impact on unborn babies.
“If a mother, for instance, gets pregnant — or let’s say conception has taken place — and she stays around areas where heavy metals are prevalent, especially in the air, in foods, or in water bodies, the risk is high,” he explained. “If the mother takes in these substances, what they do is attack the cells that make up the baby or the human. They destroy the cells and cause what we call systemic inflammation. This systemic inflammation will lead to a chronic disease state.”
He listed specific metals and their effects:
“These heavy metals attack the cells. For instance, cyanide, lead, arsenic — all those things have specific effects. Mercury affects the brain, and the brain is the main central nervous system. So, if the brain is not well developed, or if it is developed but defective, you can imagine the sort of things that can happen.”
The consequences, he warned, are lifelong.
“For instance, the child can have what we call cognitive defects. The child can also grow to develop various forms of neurodegenerative conditions, like palate lips. The brain can be affected in so many forms. So, in children, it affects them a lot.”
Proof from Autopsies
Sharing findings from his own investigations, he revealed:
“I have done research into humans who, for some reasons, died as a result of delivery complications in the delivery ward. When the babies were removed from the uterus and further tests were carried out, it was proven that there were heavy metals in their blood and in the mother’s placenta — from the stomach to the intestines, to the liver, and then to the kidney. These things are not compatible with life.”
He stressed that while adults may survive some exposure, unborn babies are far more vulnerable.
“You can have these heavy metals and live with them if you are grown up — though even then only for a short while,” he said. “But for a child who is just developing, whose organs are still forming, they cannot survive it except to probably give up and die.”
Non-Communicable Diseases on the Rise
The health burden, he warned, extends far beyond birth. He linked the crisis to the recent surge in hypertension, diabetes, and asthma reported by the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
“All these hypertension that has gone up, diabetes, asthma… all these heavy metals can cause chronic diseases,” he said, pointing to systemic inflammation caused by the destruction of cells.
Cases of Mercury Poisoning
Dr. Opoku Sampane further raised alarm over mercury exposure, recounting cases he has personally witnessed.
“I have witnessed three people in recent times who have been affected by exposure to mercury,” he revealed. “They came to seek advice from me after inhaling mercury they used in the kitchen. They lit fires laced with mercury, and the vapor they inhaled caused some form of paralysis.”
One of the victims was a promising KNUST mathematics student.
“One of these young persons was a university student studying mathematics at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology,” he said. “This young man is now unable to hold a pen and write. Anytime he holds a pen, his hand visibly shakes.”
Medical tests confirmed the poisoning.
“When his blood was drawn and sent for testing in South Africa, the mercury concentration was extremely high,” he noted. “There was nothing much one could do.”
He added that all three young men were left with lasting health damage.
“All these young men, one way or the other, were deformed,” he said. “One was twenty-three years old, and the oldest was thirty-two.”
The High Cost of Inaction and Political Failings
Prof. Dr. Sampane expressed deep concern about Ghana’s capacity to handle the looming health catastrophe.
“My worry once again is that if we continue to play politics with it, do we have what it takes to even solve the kidney diseases that are coming? Dialysis is very expensive and nobody gives it for free.”
He lamented the political discourse.
“Sometimes I feel sad. Very, very sad indeed when politicians come to sit on air and try to tell us who did this and who is doing what. It is so sad,” he said.
He called on the NDC and NPP to unite.
“I would have wished that the two main political parties… say that look, enough is enough… We should be very serious about it and solve this problem the way it is supposed to.”
He also raised an alarm about the Water Company’s increased use of Aluminum hydroxide for purification.
“Aluminum hydroxide when taken for a long period in a higher concentration has a lot of health effects. One of them is kidney problems… it is going to cause irritation in the respiratory tract and it is going to cause neurological effect.”
A Plea for Collective Action
The scientist, who has witnessed the direct impact of mercury poisoning on individuals, called for a multi-pronged approach.
“There is supposed to be a combination of factors. One is education, it is very, very important. The second one is regulation and then last but not least, involving the chiefs and the stakeholders.”
He ended with a powerful nationwide warning:
“We should all understand that while it is profitable to mine gold, it must be done responsibly. The government should commit itself to ensuring that miners follow the right practices, so that all those directly involved — as well as citizens living both near and far from mining sites — are not badly affected by heavy metals such as mercury.
Let no one think that because they live in Accra, Wa, or Bawku — far away from illegal mining sites — they are safe from the effects. Just as people in the Central Region have started complaining about the polluted Ayensu River, which originates from another source in the Eastern Region, you can imagine how that same river, starting in the Eastern Region, has flowed into the Central Region. This means it can eventually pass through Greater Accra as well. So irrespective of where one is living, we are all at risk.”
His final plea to Ghanaians was a call for unity and responsibility:
“We should all understand that it is profitable to mine the gold, but we should mine responsibly. I am appealing with all these political parties that we are in trouble so let us come together to solve the problem.”