Agbogbloshie dump poses toxic risk, experts say

Environmental health experts say workers at Agbogbloshie, a major waste dump in Ghana's capital Accra, face exposure to toxic metals and chemicals from skin cuts, smoke and dust.

Thousands of tonnes of refuse have accumulated over decades in the district on the Korle Lagoon delta, near a slum of around 80,000 residents. Scrap workers there dismantle unwanted electronics, appliances and metal by hand, often without protective equipment.

University of Ghana epidemiologist Reginald Quansah said no study has yet linked specific diseases to Agbogbloshie's pollution, but that cumulative contamination raises concern. He said people working there face lung and neurological health conditions.

Greenpeace says much of the waste is tied to imports, including second-hand clothing from Europe, North America and Asia. It estimates that 15 million used garments arrive in Ghana each week and that roughly half ends up as “dead waste” dumped on beaches and fields or burned.

Greenpeace also said 89 percent of sampled dead garments contained petrochemical fibres such as polyester, which shed microplastics as they decay and release carcinogens in smoke when burned.

In September, President John Mahama launched a three-month cleanup to remove about one million tonnes of waste from Agbogbloshie. Local Government Minister Mahama Ayariga said informal garbage pickers and tricycle hauliers would be brought into formal recycling, with hopes of creating up to 20,000 permanent jobs in waste management and the circular economy.