Galamsey is destroying Ghana’s cognitive future – One IQ point at a time

Ghana is exchanging intelligence for gold For a country of approximately 35 million people, an average loss equivalent to one IQ point would represent about 35 million person-points of cognitive potential.

If a generation of Ghanaian children suffers even a small average decline in cognitive performance because of preventable exposure to mercury, lead, arsenic and other mining-related toxicants, Ghana will pay for it for decades.

The child may be exposed through the mother during pregnancy, through contaminated food and water, or simply by living near a mining or gold-processing community.