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DLSPH Students Shine in Documentary Digging Into the Health Risks of Heavy Metal Contamination

January 24/2025

Heavy Risks zooms in on the Whin Valley, Ghana and showcases the public health risks of heavy mental contamination, and what can be done to protect this essential farming region.

By Ishani Nath

DLSPH students Emmanuella Avornyoh, Emmanuel Opoku-Mensah and Martin Bartels. (Photo: Heavy Risks)

DLSPH students Emmanuella Avornyoh, Emmanuel Opoku-Mensah and Martin Bartels. (Photo: Heavy Risks)

Recently, three DLSPH students took what they learned in the classroom and applied it to protect the health of communities in their home country of Ghana.

Martin Bartels, Emmanuella Avornyoh and Emmanuel Opoku-Mensah are Mastercard Foundation Scholars studying in the MPH Occupational and Environmental Health program. As part of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, these researchers study at U of T and conduct fieldwork and internships in their home country.

In June 2024, Bartels, Avornyoh and Opoku-Mensah conducted research on the risks of heavy metal contamination in the Whin Valley region of Ghana. Their work is the subject of a recently released documentary called Heavy Risks, showcasing the beauty and environmental public health challenges of this farming region.

Bartels, who grew up in this area, remembers when the river that cuts through the Whin Valley ran clear. Children played in the waters. Fish could be seen from the bridge above. Now, due to hazardous pesticides and pollution from illegal mining, the river is opaque, and the water is no longer safe.

Martin Bartels smiles at the camera in a still from Heavy Risks, a documentary on the risks of heavy metal contamination in the Whin Valley

Martin Bartels (Photo: Heavy Risks)

At DLSPH, Bartels learned how to generate scientific data to explain issues like this and the risks illegal mining and hazardous chemicals pose to the health of the soil and community. Bartels and his classmates looked for approaches that would work with the resources and structures in their home country.

“So, we see, OK, this is done in Canada, how can it apply in Ghana? Because we want to be helpful and relevant back at home,” says Bartels.

Emmanuel Opoku Mensah, who did research on the risks of heavy mental contamination in Ghana

Emmanuel Opoku-Mensah

Using techniques like preliminary quantitative risk assessment (PQRA) learned at DLSPH, the researchers measured heavy metal contamination in the soil of the Whin Valley. Opoku-Mensah, who is also a physician, explains that at certain levels, heavy metals can impact the brain, causing neurodevelopmental disorders in children and seizures in adults. Heavy metals can also cause kidney issues and impact liver function.

Opoku-Mensah has seen the health implications of illegal mining firsthand. Prior to coming to DLSPH, he worked in a hospital in Ghana where he saw patients with carbon dioxide poisoning due to the machinery, injuries from collapsed mines and an increase in kidney issues in children in nearby communities. “It was from there my interest in occupational and environmental health started,” he says.

During their fieldwork this summer, the researchers found multiple heavy metals in the soil of the Whin Valley, with some at levels that, if they continue to increase, could impact the health of the soil and community in the near future. The researchers determined that continuous soil monitoring and raising awareness about these environmental risks is essential to protecting this region.

Emmanuella Avornyoh smiles at the camera in a still from Heavy Risks, a documentary on the risks of heavy metal contamination in the Whin Valley

Emmanuella Avornyoh

“The connection between the environment, soil and health requires further exploration and increased awareness in Ghana,” says Avornyoh. As part of their work, the researchers spoke with local farmers to raise awareness about the importance of wearing personal protective equipment when spraying pesticides and the risks of overusing pesticides. While the farmers were aware of the guidelines, Avornyoh says their conversations and research findings helped increase the farmers’ understanding of the risks.

“They were able to accept what we were trying to explain to them just because they felt connected to us,” says Avornyoh.

Bartels, Avornyoh and Opoku-Mensah noted that studying at DLSPH has helped them have a new perspective on the multitude of factors that influence health and shaped their work in public health going forward.

“Having been at Dalla Lana now, my horizon has been broadened,” says Opoku-Mensah. “When I see a patient or I read a case, my mind immediately goes to: how did this person’s experience contribute to what I’m seeing? It’s been very, very impactful for me.”