Fatal attraction for miners as diseases thrive

THE lure of gold draws in tens of thousands of Ghanaians to artisan mining every year.

The attraction for some, though, can be fatal. Besides the rat-like tunnels that threaten to collapse, illegal miners face a plethora of diseases that flourish near the dark recesses of the mines.

Processing the gold also has huge health risks. Cases of stillbirths, skin diseases and chemical-related poisoning are common.

According to the head doctor in Ghana’s main mining region, Obuasi, working conditions in artisan mines are breeding grounds for killer diseases.

Miners carry tuberculosis (TB), which can infect others digging away in the dirt in the airtight tunnels. Waste water ponds near pits also allow malaria-carrying mosquitoes to breed.

Malaria numbers are extremely high. The hospital in Obuasi had 78,000 outpatient appointments for the disease last year. Obuasi has a population of just 190,000.

“If you look at the environment of the mine and then the organisation of community housing, the congestion of housing, the slums, the conditions in general where their families live and where they work in the mines, a lot of cases are coming from this area,” explained Dr Samuel Osei-Somuah, district director of health services for Obuasi.

The spread of HIV/Aids is also a concern, especially among women.

“There is gold and a lot of money in Obuasi. So they come for work. When they arrive here that work is non-existent. So they look for alternatives, and that is to trade in their bodies. It’s a major, major problem,” added Dr Osei-Somuah.

Multi-organ failure from the ingestion of mining-related chemicals is also a concern. Miners have been treated for kidney failure, a condition often attributable to contact with liquid mercury.

Doctors have also treated cases of severe dermatitis and silicosis, a chronic lung disease similar to TB.

The hospital has no access to facilities or resources to properly test for mining-related diseases.

Dr Osei-Somuah said: “The major problem here in Obuasi, just like any other mining community, is the misdiagnosis of mining-related diseases.”

This project was funded by the SIMON CUMBERS MEDIA CHALLENGE fund, supported by Irish Aid.