<<Print>>

Residents of Adabraka Official Town/Odawna in Accra have raised concern about the high level of environmental pollution in the community. According to them, highly toxic materials and chemicals are released into the environment daily and these pose a threat to their health. Listing a litany of worries, the residents said the activities of scrap dealers, Odawna mechanics, welders and sprayers put the lives of residents in danger. In a release signed by members of the Concerned Residents of Adabraka Official Town/Odawna, the residents appealed to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to do an environmental impact assessment to ascertain the level of pollution in the area. The release stated that the activities of members of the Odawna Garages Association Fitters had for a long time posed health hazards to people in the area and its environs. �On various occasions, the mechanics, who have no refuse dumps in the area, have resorted to burning tyres, collecting the residue or leftovers of plastic waste for burning which pollutes the environment,� the press release said. Fumes It also expressed the fear that the resultant fumes were poisonous and, therefore, very dangerous to humans. The edges of the Odawna drain are a beehive of activities of scrap dealers who burn anything from electronic gadgets to lorry tyres, in search of components for sale. �The fires give rise to organic and inorganic irritants, complex molecules and particulate matter with significant yields of sulfur dioxide due to the high sulfur content. Other products from the burning include mercury, lead, nickel, beryllium toluene and dozens of products of incomplete combustion which are linked to increased incidents of breast cancer,� the release claimed. On the activities of auto body sprayers and welders, it said the health implications of their work was too serious to be ignored, given that carcinogenic chemicals were used.