{"id":97118,"date":"2025-10-05T05:32:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-05T05:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=97118"},"modified":"2025-10-05T05:32:00","modified_gmt":"2025-10-05T05:32:00","slug":"single-molecular-hit-from-galamsey-toxins-could-trigger-cancer-uew-toxicologist-warns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=97118","title":{"rendered":"Single molecular hit from galamsey toxins could trigger cancer \u2014 UEW toxicologist warns"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>3 Minute, 8 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>
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Ghana\u2019s illegal mining (galamsey) crisis has escalated to an existential public health threat, with experts warning that a single exposure to the associated heavy metals, particularly arsenic, carries a measurable risk of cancer initiation.<\/p>\n

Speaking on JoyNews\u2019\u00a0Newsfile\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>programme on Saturday, October 4, to discuss the spiralling health consequences of polluted food and water systems, Dr. Ekpor Anyimah-Ackah, a food systems toxicologist and health risk assessment expert at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), presented startling scientific data proving that there is effectively no safe dose of genotoxic agents leaching from galamsey sites.<\/p>\n

The warning is based on the Single-Hit Model of Carcinogenesis, which provides the toxicological framework for the danger posed by contaminants like arsenic.<\/p>\n

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\u201cNow the core principle is that a single molecular hit to DNA from a genotoxic agent can initiate cancer. A single exposure to and I\u2019m using arsenic,\u201d Dr. Anyimah-Ackah explained.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Science of Risk: No Safe Threshold<\/strong><\/p>\n

This core principle means that every single exposure to arsenic\u2014which galamsey operations leach into rivers, soils, and subsequently into the food chain\u2014increases the probability of malignancy. <\/p>\n

The chemical acts as a genotoxic initiator by inducing oxidative stress and causing strand breaks in DNA.<\/p>\n

According to the model, this means the risk is proportional to the dose, confirming the Linear No-Threshold (LNT) model and asserting that no safe dose exists. The slightest exposure that escapes cellular repair can become a permanent mutation, paving the way for clonal expansion and tumour formation.<\/p>\n

Shocking Data: Unacceptable Cancer Risk in Infants<\/strong><\/p>\n

The theoretical risk has been validated by a recent study co-authored by Dr. Anyimah-Ackah and published in the American Journal of Biomedical Science & Research on June 6, 2025.<\/p>\n

Peace Afua Agbevivi and Guy Eshun from the Department of Food and Nutrition Education, Faculty of Health, Allied Sciences and Home Economics Education, University of Education, Winneba,
Ghana contributed to the research.<\/p>\n

The research analysed arsenic exposure in a cohort of 427 infants aged 6\u201312 months. This cross-sectional exposure assessment was conducted in the Kadjebi District, Volta Region.<\/p>\n

The findings revealed a dire and unacceptable health burden:<\/p>\n