Unsafe disposal of acid and lead from used car batteries is contaminating soil and groundwater across Ghana, exposing millions of children to lead poisoning, environmental and health experts warn.
At informal repair and recycling sites, mechanics routinely drain sulphuric acid from old batteries and bury it behind their workshops or pour it straight onto bare ground. One veteran mechanic described digging a hole, emptying the acid into it and covering it with soil, a routine he considers normal after nearly four decades in the trade.
Experts say the consequences are anything but normal. Lead released this way can linger in the ground for decades, tainting crops, poisoning livestock and seeping toward the water table that many households depend on for drinking and cooking.
“Once lead is deposited into soil, it remains there forever,” said Esmond Quansah, Programme Director of Pure Earth Africa.
The scale of exposure is significant. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that over 1.7 million children in Ghana have blood lead levels exceeding 5 micrograms per decilitre, the level above which there is cause for concern. Blood testing led by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) between 2022 and 2023 returned alarming results in several communities.
Dr Carl Osei of the GHS reported that elevated lead levels reached about 79 percent among tested children in Yendi and roughly 56 percent around Ashaiman. Children living near regulated recycling factories also showed high exposure, with prevalence reaching around 89 percent in some communities.
The findings suggest the danger extends beyond informal workshops to formal facilities as well.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says elevated lead levels in children can cause irreversible brain damage, lower intelligence, stunted growth, anaemia and lasting behavioural problems. Young children are especially vulnerable because the metal harms development before symptoms appear.
The problem is not unique to Ghana. A study by the Centre for Global Development estimated that about a third of lead exposure in poorer nations may be linked to unsafe battery recycling.
Specialists say solutions exist, including safer recycling methods, protective gear and proper hazardous waste treatment, but weak enforcement lets harmful practices persist. A private environmental consultant, Dr Sampson Atiemo, pointed to capacity gaps in regulatory agencies and the loss of experienced officers as key obstacles.
For now, toxic residue continues to settle quietly beneath workshops and homes, with effects that could burden families for generations.
