A lecturer at the Food and Nutrition Department of the University of Education, Winneba, Dr. Expor Anyimah-Ackah, has raised concerns over the scientific basis of the Environmental Protection Authority’s (EPA) recently piloted Nano Copper water purification technology.
His comments follow the EPA’s pilot exercise conducted on February 24 at the Birim River at Kyebi Adukrom, where the agency demonstrated a water-cleaning intervention aimed at addressing pollution linked to illegal mining activities.
The Birim River, like several other water bodies in Ghana, has suffered extensive contamination due to illegal mining operations, which have introduced high levels of turbidity and heavy metals into the water system. The EPA’s pilot project reportedly showed muddy water being turned visibly clear after treatment with Nano Copper technology.
However, speaking in an interview on Citi Eyewitness News on Thursday, February 26, Dr. Anyimah-Ackah questioned whether the demonstration provided sufficient scientific evidence to confirm the technology’s effectiveness in eliminating harmful contaminants.
Dr. Anyimah-Ackah’s remarks suggest that while the Nano Copper treatment may cause suspended particles to clump together and settle — a process known as flocculation — this does not necessarily eliminate contaminants from the ecosystem.
Instead, the heavy metals could accumulate at the bottom of the river, potentially re-entering the water column later and posing long-term environmental and health risks.
“Did you have the capacity to assess the water quality that they [EPA] showed? What they showed is just aesthetics. To date, the FDA has not made a public disclosure of the nature of the nano material they are using so that the scientific community can engage with them and give them proper feedback.
“If the water colour has changed, it doesn’t mean that the heavy metals have disappeared in the water. For example, you could flocculate and sediment the heavy metals and they will be settling at the bottom of the water body acting as a secondary source of pollution.”
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