Obsolete chemicals, another problem for Ghana

Professor John Hawkins Ephraim, President of Catholic University College at Fiapre in Sunyani has warned that Ghana’s water resources and agriculture face a serious threat if obsolete chemicals are not managed well.

He said poor management of obsolete chemicals can pose a danger to the safety and health of laboratory personnel, the general public and the entire environment.

Professor John Hawkins Ephraim gave the warning on Thursday, during an inaugural lecture organised by Ghana academy of Arts and Sciences on the theme: “The dangers that obsolete chemicals pose to us.”

He said most chemicals imported are in excess of what might be required for a particular purpose, adding “usually they are not labelled or well regulated or properly stored”.

Professor Ephraim said that in many instances, they are not well disposed of or sometimes they are even applied wrongly due to lack of knowledge and understanding as many of them do not have labels containing instructions.

He said the difficulty confronting Ghana is the inability to track the life cycle of chemicals from production or importation to disposal as well storing them in obscure places.

Professor Ephraim said some of the chemical are disposed of by burying them in shallow pits, which get diluted and run down the drain or are thrown into water bodies.

He recommended the promulgation of a unifying law to address the importation and future exportation, monitoring and ultimate disposal of all chemicals by considering the whole life cycle of the substances.

The Professor also suggested that a three high capacity and efficient incinerators be installed in Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale, where institutions, companies, hospitals and agricultural institutions could employ to dispose-off chemical and substances that are hazardous.