Minister for Food and Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku has urged the public to remain calm following concerns raised by a recent Pure Earth and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report suggesting traces of toxic metals in some Ghanaian food crops and fish.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, the minister said government analysts had already begun reviewing the document, and early checks indicate that the findings may not reflect the true national picture.
“The initial feedback we have suggests the situation is not as alarming as it was presented. These appear to be isolated cases, not widespread contamination,” he explained.
The year-long study, conducted between August 2024 and September 2025, uncovered elevated levels of mercury, arsenic, and lead in Ghana’s small-scale mining communities, raising public health and environmental concerns.
The research sampled soil, water, air, crops, and fish across six regions. Communities including Konongo Zongo, Prestea, Asiakwa, Bibiani, and Wassa Kayianko recorded toxic metal concentrations above national and international safety standards.
However, Mr. Opoku stressed that several parts of the country have no illegal mining activity, making blanket conclusions misleading. He also indicated that some locations cited in the report do not align with the ministry’s own data.
“We do not accept any suggestion that our foods are generally poisonous or contaminated. There is really no cause for alarm,” he assured.
While rejecting claims of widespread contamination, he noted that illegal miners themselves suffer from polluted water bodies. “They drink from the same rivers they have destroyed and work in the same polluted water. It affects their own health too,” he added.
The Minister emphasised that government would continue to validate all scientific reports, but for now, the public should not panic over the Pure Earth findings.
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