Ghana, long celebrated as Africa’s top gold producer, is now grappling with a toxic legacy as a fresh boom in artisanal mining sweeps across the country. According to a recent report by Pure Earth and Ghana’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), record-breaking gold exports—valued at $6.3 billion in just the first eight months of 2025—have come at a steep cost to public health and the environment. The study, released in Accra on September 18 and made available to Reuters over the weekend, paints a stark picture: mercury and arsenic contamination in mining communities has soared to levels far exceeding global safety standards, raising urgent concerns for the well-being of thousands of Ghanaians.
The numbers are eye-popping. The artisanal gold sector exported 66.7 metric tons between January and August 2025, up from 53.8 tons for the entirety of 2024. This surge, fueled by rising global bullion prices, has brought much-needed income to thousands of small-scale miners and bolstered state coffers. Yet, as mining activity intensifies, so too does the risk to those living and working in Ghana’s gold-rich regions.
Pure Earth and the EPA’s year-long investigation collected samples from soil, water, crops, and fish in six of Ghana’s thirteen mining regions. The findings were grim: in the community of Konongo Zongo, mercury levels in soil averaged 56.4 parts per million (ppm), more than five times the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) safety threshold of 10 ppm. Even more alarming, peak readings in the area soared to 1,342 ppm—134 times the recommended limit. Arsenic contamination was even more severe, with concentrations reaching 10,060 ppm, or over 4,000% above WHO guidelines.
The health implications are dire. As the report states, “The cumulative exposure to this cocktail of toxic metals through multiple pathways — ingestion, inhalation and dermal contact — is a serious health hazard requiring immediate intervention.” The WHO warns that high arsenic exposure can cause skin lesions, kidney failure, and significantly increase the risk of lung, bladder, and skin cancers, particularly when contaminated water and food are consumed over time.
For some Ghanaians, these consequences are not theoretical—they are already painfully real. Anthony Enimil, a member of the Ghana Pediatric Society, told Reuters, “We’re seeing more children from mining areas with kidney disorders—some are now on dialysis. X-rays show mercury pellets in their bodies after accidental ingestion.” Such stories underscore the hidden costs of Ghana’s gold rush, with children and vulnerable populations bearing the brunt of the crisis.
Despite government efforts to formalise the mining sector and distinguish between fully regulated operations and illegal activity, enforcement remains a major challenge. Gold flows often overlap, blurring the lines between legal and illicit mining and complicating attempts to protect people and ecosystems. The toxic pollution, environmentalists say, is not confined to a few hotspots but is prevalent across all thirteen of Ghana’s mining regions.
According to the Accra-based lobby group A Rocha Ghana, unregulated and small-scale mining is the primary driver of pollution in these regions. While authorities have taken steps to address the problem, progress has been slow. President John Dramani Mahama has promised a crackdown on illegal mining and established the Ghana Gold Board to oversee the sector. Yet, critics argue that real change has been elusive, and public frustration is mounting. In recent months, Ghanaians have staged protests demanding stronger action against illegal miners and greater protection for affected communities.
In response to mounting evidence of harm, the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners says it is trying to clean up its act. Godwin Armah, the association’s general secretary, explained, “We have banned the use of mercury in gold amalgamation and now use the Gold Kacha [concentrator] as a safer alternative. We are also stepping up sensitisation,” referring to a simple device that allows miners to separate gold from ore without the need for toxic chemicals. While these changes are a step in the right direction, Armah admits that mercury pollution from artisanal mining will take time to address, especially given the scale of the problem and the economic pressures facing miners.
The government, for its part, has not yet provided an official response to the latest findings. A spokesperson did not respond immediately to requests for comment from Reuters. In the meantime, environmentalists, health professionals, and local residents are left to grapple with the fallout. The report’s release has galvanized calls for urgent intervention—not just to clean up contaminated sites, but to reform the sector in a way that balances economic opportunity with the health and safety of Ghana’s people.
Ghana’s predicament is not unique. Across Africa and the developing world, the allure of gold has spurred a wave of artisanal mining, often in poorly regulated environments where environmental and health safeguards are weak or absent. The Ghana case, however, is especially striking for its scale and the speed with which artisanal mining has come to dominate the local economy. For many families, gold mining is a lifeline, offering a way out of poverty when few other options exist. Yet, as the Pure Earth and EPA report makes clear, the very activity that sustains communities can also poison them—sometimes irreversibly.
The challenge now is to find a path forward. Formalising the sector, enforcing bans on mercury and other hazardous substances, and providing miners with safer technologies are all part of the solution. But as the protests and rising health toll suggest, time is running short. The government, industry, and civil society must work together to ensure that Ghana’s gold boom does not become a public health catastrophe.
As the country weighs its next steps, the voices of those most affected—children suffering from kidney disorders, parents worried about contaminated water, and miners caught between economic need and environmental risk—will be crucial. Their stories, and the data uncovered by researchers, serve as a powerful reminder that the true price of gold is often measured not in dollars or tons, but in lives and landscapes forever changed.