A nationwide assessment has revealed alarming levels of toxic heavy metals across Ghana’s artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) regions, raising serious concerns about public health and food security. The study, conducted by Pure Earth Ghana between November 2024 and March 2025, found widespread contamination of soil, water, air, food crops, and fish with mercury, arsenic, lead, and cadmium. Covering 11 sites in six regions—Ashanti, Western, Western North, Central, Eastern, and Savannah—the findings point to a silent crisis threatening millions of lives.
The Ashanti Region’s Konongo Zongo and Odumase emerged as the most dangerous hotspots. Soil arsenic levels soared to 10,060 ppm, exceeding safe thresholds by more than 4,200 percent, while mercury levels reached 56.40 ppm, five times above global guidelines. In the Eastern Region, Asiakwa recorded the highest lead contamination in drinking water, with levels peaking at 0.97 mg/L, nearly 100 times the World Health Organization’s (WHO) safe limit. In the Savannah Region’s Dakrupe, soils showed elevated lead and arsenic, while in Wassa Kayianko in the Western Region, mercury vapor in the air exceeded safe limits by 84 percent, with peaks of 150.20 µg/m³ during smelting activities.
The contamination has spread into the food chain. Vegetables such as kontomire and pumpkin leaves were found to contain mercury and arsenic levels above FAO/WHO safety standards. Lead levels in pumpkin leaves from the Western North Region reached 3.1 mg/kg, far above the 0.1 mg/kg threshold. Fish samples from Akwaboso showed lead concentrations as high as 2.80 mg/kg, nearly ten times higher than the safe limit. Researchers warn that cumulative exposure through contaminated food, water, and air could have devastating consequences.
Health experts caution that the situation poses long-term risks. Mercury exposure is linked to neurological damage and developmental delays in children, while arsenic is associated with cancers and organ failure. Lead exposure impairs brain development and can cause cardiovascular disease. “Communities in these mining regions are living on poisoned ground,” said a lead researcher at Pure Earth Ghana. “Children and pregnant women are the most vulnerable, and the contamination directly undermines both health and food security.”
The report urges immediate interventions, including training local environmental officers in modern monitoring tools, conducting comprehensive biomonitoring in high-risk communities, making environmental data more transparent and accessible, and enforcing mining regulations while promoting mercury-free technologies. Encouragingly, the study also found that miners are aware of mercury’s dangers and are willing to adopt safer practices if given the right support.
Experts warn that without urgent action, Ghana risks leaving behind a toxic legacy that could undermine health, agriculture, and economic growth for generations. The report calls for a holistic response that combines community engagement, strict enforcement, and sustainable mining practices to safeguard the country’s future.
