In many communities across Ghana, families begin their day unaware of a hidden danger in their homes. Children play near mining sites contaminated with heavy metals. Meals are prepared in locally manufactured aluminium cooking pots, some of which carry lead that leaches into food with each use.
Lead exposure has become a growing public health concern. The toxic metal enters the body through contaminated food, water, soil, dust and household products, where it accumulates over time and causes kidney damage, cardiovascular disease, developmental disorders in children and neurological problems.
For citizens who suspect they have been exposed and wish to know their blood lead levels, the options are grim. Only a handful of public health facilities can conduct the tests at all, and the cost of both equipment and testing kits continues to be a barrier.
Dr. Carl Osei, Programme Manager for Occupational and Environmental Health at the Ghana Health Service, laid out the scale of the problem during a three-day Lead Poisoning Prevention and Health Journalist Training organised by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with Vital Strategies in Koforidua, Eastern Region.
He explained that screening tests currently used for research are expensive and require samples to be sent abroad for analysis. Confirmatory testing equipment carries its own high cost, placing routine blood lead level testing beyond the reach of most facilities.
“Ideally, all the regional hospitals should have it. Now we will need support. The government cannot do it alone and will need partners to come on board,” Dr. Osei said.
The gap exists against a backdrop of significant and documented harm. A 2023 study published in the Global Burden of Disease journal reported approximately 5,000 cardiovascular deaths in Ghana linked to lead exposure annually. A national survey of children aged one to five found that more than half of those tested had blood lead levels at or above the threshold the World Health Organisation recommends for public health intervention.
Locally manufactured cooking pots have emerged as a particular concern. The Ghana Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) called for a ban on Dadesen aluminium pots after laboratory tests detected unsafe lead levels in samples. The Authority found that lead is sometimes added during manufacturing to soften the metal, and that many producers may not fully understand the health consequences.
Some organisations are working to fill the testing gap that government facilities cannot currently cover. Vital Strategies conducts free blood lead level testing through community outreach programmes. The CDC Foundation, as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Lead Poisoning Prevention Initiative, is working with the government and local partners to strengthen laboratory capacity, including assessments of sample collection systems, analytical methods and data reporting.
Justice Sitsofe Yevugah, Surveillance Coordinator for Vital Strategies, said “Lead Poisoning Prevention requires a coordinated effort and community awareness.”
The Koforidua training brought together 22 journalists from across Ghana for education on lead toxicology and its effects on health and society. The sessions reflected a broader push to ensure that the public health case for lead testing investment reaches not just policymakers but the communities most directly at risk.
The writer is a science journalist. Email: [email protected]
