A new study on nearly 200 consumer products and food samples across four regions in Ghana has revealed worrying levels of lead contamination in the popular metal cookware, ‘dades3n’. The Global Rapid Market screening study which happens to be the largest of its kind highlights alarming levels of lead in consumer goods and food produced in low and middle-income countries including Ghana with far reaching global consequences.
The study conducted by the environmental NGO, Pure Earth’s Blacksmith Initiative revealed that there are high levels of lead contamination in the following: Metal cookware (Dades3n) has 55%, ceramic cookware has 18%, toys for kids has 14%, and cosmetics (local mascara) has 7% of lead.
According to a report launched by the World Bank recently, the levels of lead exposure is extremely high which leads to a decrease in IQ. “Children under 5 years old worldwide lost 765 million IQ points, those living in low and middle-income countries lost 729 million IQ points.”
“There is an average loss of 5.9 IQ points per child and this IQ points loss is 80% greater than the previous estimate,” the report stated. Country Director for Pure Earth, Esmond Wisdom Quansah also reiterated that eating from these metallic cookwares puts individuals at a high risk of lead poisoning.
According to him, the experiment was conducted six times and the results were the same hence the institution wants to create public awareness so that other alternatives may be considered to avoid further damage. “What this points to is that we are not safe, if you happen to be eating from any of these metallic or ‘dades3n’ cookware we are at risk of lead poisoning.”
“We’ve grown a step further, our scientist have conducted what we call the leach test to determine the percentage of leach of this lead concentration in this metallic or aluminum cooking pot into the food and we were surprised by the findings of the scientists.”
“55% of the lead in this metallic cook wares actually leaked into the food, the experiment was conducted six times and the results came the same, so that is a cause for concern for everyone and that is why we are putting this information in the public,” he explained.
