Keep plastics out of our food chain

Plastic pollution has long been treated mainly as an environmental problem. Choked drains, dirty beaches, polluted rivers and piles of discarded plastic waste are familiar sights across Ghana.

But new research is forcing us to look at the problem from another angle, plastic pollution is also becoming a food and public health concern.

Research conducted by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Water Research Institute (CSIR-WRI) has detected significant levels of microplastics in fish from the Lower Volta Basin and coastal communities along the Gulf of Guinea.

The findings should not be a cause for panic, but they certainly deserve serious attention.

The research, presented by Senior Research Scientist Dr Pennante Naa Ayikialey Bruce-Vanderpuije, found microplastics in the guts and gills of both cage-farmed and wild fish.

In some cases, the levels were substantial, with fish sampled at Asikuma recording an average of about 365 particles per fish.

More worrying is the suggestion that some of the contamination could be linked to human activities.

Researchers identified paint and PVC particles associated with boats and cage infrastructure, while contaminated fishmeal and plastic nets were also identified as possible sources.

These findings underline a simple but uncomfortable truth, what we throw away does not necessarily disappear.

Plastic waste that ends up in drains, streams, rivers and the sea can break down into tiny particles and eventually find its way into aquatic organisms and, potentially, back to our plates.

Ghana is particularly vulnerable because fish is an important part of the national diet.

The research estimated that people who consume the gills and guts of cage-farmed tilapia could ingest thousands of microplastic particles annually.

That does not mean that eating fish is unsafe. The researcher was careful to stress that the study established exposure, not a confirmed health risk.

The country still needs more evidence to establish whether the levels of microplastics being consumed are causing measurable health problems.

That distinction is important. We must neither frighten the public unnecessarily nor dismiss the findings because the full health implications are not yet known.

The prudent response is to act on what is already clear, plastic pollution is entering our water bodies and aquatic food systems, and preventing that contamination is better than waiting for a health crisis before taking action.

The Government, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, environmental agencies, fisheries authorities, manufacturers and communities must therefore strengthen efforts to prevent plastic waste from reaching water bodies.

Waste collection and recycling systems must improve, while enforcement of existing environmental regulations must become more consistent.

The aquaculture industry also has a responsibility. Operators must examine the materials used in cages, nets, boats and fish feed and adopt safer and more sustainable alternatives where necessary.

At the same time, we must invest more in local research.

The country needs reliable data on the presence of microplastics in fish, drinking water and other foods, as well as research into possible long-term health effects.

There is no need to wait until every scientific question has been answered before tackling the source of the problem.

Plastic pollution is already damaging our environment. If it is also finding its way into the food chain, the case for decisive action becomes even stronger.

We must keep plastics out of our rivers, lagoons, lakes and seas, not only to protect aquatic life, but also to protect what eventually reaches the Ghanaian dinner table.