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Some public Senior High Schools in Ho, as well as the Nurses Training College, could be sitting on a �time bomb� in view of the insanitary conditions of kitchens in those institutions. Last Sunday about 20 students from the Awudome Senior High School were rushed to hospitals in Ho for suspected food poisoning. When the Ghana News Agency visited the School on Monday, it saw that gutters around the kitchen were filled with stagnant waters. It is unclear if waste water was discharged into the gutters, from where a pungent smell was emanating. Close to the kitchen was a half-covered septic tank. There was also a burst pipe at the entrance to the kitchen, out of which water was gushing out. Goats and other domestic animals were also seen hovering around the kitchen with their droppings littering the entrance of the kitchen. The cooking environment generally looked unkempt. The situation was not different at Mawuli School with gutters around the kitchen producing horrible smell. A dustbin placed at the back of the kitchen close to Aggrey House was full with rubbish spilling over onto the ground with hosts of flies in attendance. The cooks were however well dressed. The situation seemed worse at the Ho Nurses Training College. The cooks had neither covered their heads nor worn aprons. A dustbin placed between the kitchen and the dining hall was spilling over with garbage. A student nurse told the GNA that attempts to have the cooks dress properly fell flat as they argued that the kitchen was too hot for wearing aprons and head covers. Mawuko Girls and OLA Senior High Schools were however exceptions. They had cleaner environments. The cooks were also well dressed with tables and bowls well covered. However, all the schools are using firewood and kernel husks as fuels and aluminium pots for cooking, which experts say are unhealthy. Smoke from wood-burning stoves and fireplaces are said to contain a complex mixture of gases and particles of great health concern. Scientific studies have linked particle pollution exposure to increased respiratory symptoms, such as irritation of the airways, coughing, difficulty i breathing, aggravated asthma; chronic bronchitis; irregular heartbeat, and premature death. Mr Courage Deh, a Regulatory Officer at the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) in Ho, says aluminium bowls and pots are reactive and can cause food poisoning. He told the GNA that bacteria survive even when cooked in aluminium bowls, and that it is recommended that food is prepared only in stainless bowls because �they do not leave food residual.� Casual observations by the GNA indicated that some of the schools are skipping cleaning schedules with visible signs of moss around water storage facilities. Mr Francis Abotsi, Volta Regional Environmental Officer, said unhygienic kitchens could cause food poisoning, cholera, diahorrea and typhoid. He said his outfit had not inspected the schools because of the formation of school health coordinators, tasked to ensure that kitchens in schools operated in hygienic conditions. Mr Constant Dzakpasu, Volta Regional Coordinator of School Health Education Programme (SHEP) described the situation as worrisome, and blamed District Coordinators of SHEP for skipping inspection of the facilities.