ToxiCity life at Agbobloshie, the world's largest e waste dump in Ghana
Summary
TLDRThe video script explores Aqua Blushy, a suburb of Accra, Ghana, known as 'Sodom and Gomorrah' due to its notorious electronic waste dump. It serves as a livelihood for residents, including children, despite the severe health risks from toxic exposure. The script highlights the harsh reality of manual laborers, the illegal import of e-waste from developed countries, and the lack of enforcement of environmental laws. It also touches on the impact of the dumping on the local community and the broader implications of this global issue.
Takeaways
- 🌆 Aqua Blushy, a suburb of Accra, Ghana, is nicknamed Sodom and Gomorrah due to its status as the largest electronic waste dump on the continent.
- 👦 Emanuel Ax Candy Rika, a child who has never attended school, relies on the dump site for his livelihood, highlighting the harsh reality of child labor in the area.
- 🚫 Despite Ghanaian laws against child labor, enforcement is lax, and children are often left to work in hazardous conditions at the dump.
- 💡 The dump site provides a source of income for many, allowing them to afford at least one meal a day, despite the severe health risks involved.
- 🌐 Electronic waste from countries like the USA, Australia, Western Europe, and Asia is sent to Ghana in large quantities, exacerbating the pollution problem.
- 🍽 Sam Issa Abubakar, an 18-year-old, sells food at the site, illustrating the ecosystem of businesses that have grown around the dump.
- 🔬 High levels of toxic metals like lead and cadmium are present in the area, posing serious health risks to those who live and work there.
- 🏥 Health services have observed a high rate of contamination and sickness among people working at the dump, with severe consequences if untreated.
- 🌱 Victor Shaffer, a waste utilization company manager from Germany, emphasizes the high profitability of the e-waste trade, which often operates under the guise of secondhand electronics sales.
- 🏭 The lack of enforcement of environmental laws in Ghana allows the e-waste trade to continue unabated, leading to ongoing pollution and health crises.
- 🏠 Many families live in makeshift homes next to the dump site, enduring poor living conditions and the constant threat of toxic exposure.
Q & A
What is the nickname given to Aqua Blushy by local residents and why?
-Local residents have nicknamed Aqua Blushy 'Sodom and Gomorrah' due to its notorious reputation as the home of the biggest electronic waste dump in Ghana, which is both a source of livelihood and a cause of severe pollution and health hazards.
How does the electronic waste dump in Aqua Blushy affect the livelihood of the people living there?
-The electronic waste dump in Aqua Blushy provides a source of income for many people, including waste collectors and those who provide goods and services to the collectors. However, it also poses serious health risks, as the work involves exposure to toxins and toxic metals.
Why are children like Emanuel Ax Candy Rika working at the dump site despite Ghanaian laws forbidding child labor?
-Children like Emanuel work at the dump site because it is the only way for them to sustain themselves and their families. The laws are often ignored due to the cheap labor provided by children, and the lack of enforcement allows this practice to continue.
What is the impact of the e-waste on the health of the people working at the dump site?
-The e-waste contains toxins and toxic metals that can cause severe health problems, including high levels of lead and cadmium contamination. Exposure to these substances can lead to sickness and even death if left untreated.
Where does the electronic waste in Ghana come from and what is the scale of the problem?
-Electronic waste in Ghana comes from countries like the USA, Australia, Western Europe, and Asia, amounting to hundreds of tons per year. The scale of the problem is immense, making it one of the most polluted areas on the African continent.
What is the role of Sam Issa Abubakar at the dump site and what are her circumstances?
-Sam Issa Abubakar sells food at the dump site and has been there for two weeks. She is from the north of Ghana where there is no work, and she has not finished high school yet, indicating the desperate circumstances that lead people to work at the dump.
What are the environmental laws in Ghana regarding e-waste and why are they not effectively enforced?
-Ghana has environmental laws in place to regulate e-waste, but they are not effectively enforced due to a lack of resources, corruption, and a general disregard for the law, leading to the continued dumping and processing of e-waste in the country.
How does the e-waste trade affect the broader community and environment in Aqua Blushy?
-The e-waste trade not only affects the health of those working at the dump site but also has broader environmental impacts, such as pollution from burning plastics and the spread of toxins to other parts of the community, including the nearby fruit market.
What are the economic incentives for the international suppliers of e-waste to send their waste to Ghana?
-International suppliers send their e-waste to Ghana because it is more profitable than properly disposing of or recycling the waste in their home countries. The trade is highly profitable, with the potential to make millions of dollars per year.
What is the situation like for the families of children working at the dump site, and how does it affect their future prospects?
-The families of children working at the dump site often live in extreme poverty and have limited options for income. The work at the dump site provides immediate financial support but exposes the children to dangerous conditions that can shorten their lifespan and limit their opportunities for education and a better life.
How do the supervisors and overseers at the dump site, like Abdullah Rajamani, maintain control and what is their role in the e-waste trade?
-Supervisors like Abdullah Rajamani maintain control over different sectors of the dump site and have the final say in disputes and operations. They play a key role in the e-waste trade by managing the workers and ensuring the smooth operation of the site, often at the expense of the workers' health and safety.
Outlines
😢 Life Amidst Pollution: Aqua Blushy's Struggle
Aqua Blushy, a suburb of Accra, Ghana, is dubbed 'Sodom and Gomorrah' due to its notorious electronic waste dump. This area is the largest of its kind on the African continent, filled with toxins and toxic metals. Locals, including children like Emanuel Ax Candy Rika, eke out a living by scavenging the dump, despite the severe health risks. Ghanaian laws prohibit child labor, but enforcement is lax, and the children have no other means of support. The dump provides a livelihood for waste collectors and vendors, but at a high cost to their health. Electronic waste is imported from around the world, offering work but also perpetuating the cycle of pollution and poverty.
🏭 The Dark Side of the Recycling Business
The narrative shifts to the business side of the e-waste industry, where local companies and foreign entities like waste utilization companies from Germany participate. The hazardous materials such as lead and cadmium pose severe health risks, and the lack of enforcement of environmental laws exacerbates the situation. A study conducted in 2010 revealed high levels of contamination in the blood and urine of locals. The consequences of the toxic environment are sickness and early death, with no signs of improvement despite the presence of laws meant to protect the environment and public health.
🏚️ Living on the Edge of a Toxic Waste Dump
Manuel's story illustrates the harsh reality of living adjacent to the toxic waste dump. Families reside in makeshift shacks, enduring the stench and health hazards of the dump site. The lack of alternatives forces people to live and work in these conditions, with the dump site's division into sectors overseen by supervisors, ultimately controlled by a figure named Abdullah. The narrative highlights the dire living conditions and the power dynamics at play within the community.
🍇 The Paradox of Abobo Blushy: Fruit Markets and Waste Dumps
Abobo Blushy is depicted as a paradox, housing both the largest fruit market in West Africa and one of the most significant contamination sites globally. The juxtaposition of vibrant market life and the deadly waste dump underscores the complex and interconnected nature of the local economy. The health implications of the pollution are far-reaching, affecting not only those living near the dump but also potentially contaminating the food supply through the market.
🌐 The Global E-Waste Trade and Its Impact on Ghana
This paragraph delves into the international trade of e-waste, which is disguised as the sale of secondhand devices. The high profitability of this trade, estimated at around two hundred and fifty million dollars annually, is contrasted with the severe environmental and health costs borne by Ghana. The narrative suggests that developed countries send their waste to Ghana because it is cheaper than recycling at home, leading to a situation likened to 'drinking rat poison' due to the toxic combinations released by burning plastics and other materials.
👦 The Children of Agbo Blushy: Victims of a Toxic Economy
The focus is on the children who are drawn into the e-waste economy out of desperation. They are exploited for cheap labor and face the brunt of the health risks associated with the dump site. The paragraph highlights the lack of choice and the grim reality that these children have to work in hazardous conditions to survive, with no alternative options available to them.
💔 The Unseen Costs of Survival in Agbo Blushy
The final paragraph emphasizes the dire circumstances faced by the people of Agbo Blushy, who must navigate a system that offers survival at the expense of their health. The narrative concludes with a reflection on the exploitation of the poor and the lack of ethical considerations in the e-waste trade, leaving a lasting impression of the human cost of environmental degradation.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Aqua Blushy
💡Electronic Waste
💡Pollution
💡Toxic Metals
💡Manual Labor
💡Poverty
💡Health Risks
💡Environmental Laws
💡Secondhand Electronics
💡Waste Trafficking
💡Contaminated Land
Highlights
Aqua Blushy, a suburb of Accra, Ghana, is known as 'sodom and gomorrah' due to its status as the home of the biggest electronic waste dump.
The dump site is a livelihood for many, providing income but also exposing them to toxins and toxic metals.
Emanuel Ax candy Rika, a child who has spent his entire childhood at the dump, has never been to school and relies on the dump for survival.
Ghanaian laws forbid child labor, but enforcement is lax, and many children work at the dump due to lack of parental care.
Electronic waste from the USA, Australia, Western Europe, and Asia arrives in Ghana in the hundreds of tons per year.
Sam Issa Abubakar, an 18-year-old girl, sells food at the site and has not finished high school, illustrating the limited opportunities for education.
The waste dump provides work for waste collectors and those who supply their needs, creating a complex ecosystem of labor.
Lead and cadmium are among the toxins present at the site, posing serious health risks to those who spend time there.
A study in 2010 revealed high levels of contamination in the blood and urine of 80 people tested from the area.
Poor nutrition and lack of medication can exacerbate the health effects of the toxins, leading to sickness and death.
Burning plastics at the dump releases toxins that are among the highest poisons in the world, with dangerous combinations.
Victor Shaffer, a manager of a waste utilization company, highlights the lack of enforcement of environmental laws in Ghana.
The dump site at Agbo Blushy is divided into sectors, each with a supervisor, but ultimately controlled by Abdullah.
The trade of second-hand electronics in Ghana is suspected to be a cover for waste trafficking, with high profits involved.
The dump site's workers are often exploited, with little choice but to accept low pay for dangerous work.
There are no official numbers or statistics on deaths or diseases caused by the ecological disaster in Aqua Blushy.
Aqua Blushy has a stark contrast between the biggest fruit market in West Africa and the contamination site.
The pollution from the dump site affects not only the local population but also the wider community through the spread of toxins.
Transcripts
this is aqua blushy a suburb of Accra
the capital of Ghana but local residents
have given it a nickname sodom and
gomorrah
it's the home of the biggest electronic
waste dump and is a livelihood for many
first it feeds them then it kills them
this is one of the most polluted areas
with toxins and toxic metals on the
African continent
[Music]
Emanuel Ax candy Rika has spent his
entire childhood at the dump site he's
never been to school so he can't go
elsewhere for him this job is the only
way to sustain himself family yet
14 years said you will prune and up a
Diamondback no coke merci beaucoup de
Mon Ami back in Bible a Jew our Khatami
said we are gonna make a crawler back
Donna
[Music]
Ghanaian laws forbid a manual to work at
all until he comes of age
but no one pays any attention you see
that's much much cheaper go to work
Yellin so me I don't have parents
so I don't father dies or than their
mothers die and so the day our mothers
are there but didn't take care of them
you know as a small boy and so then they
cut you can't work here after Trevor go
back to school and so glad they don't go
through at all when they accrue school
they will come here
so them Ellen the money will come here
pick the ion where's Earl Copen a baby
with my mommy they're Mia meets me Niska
you say me I commit my to return gonna
turn this money which is equal to three
to five dollars will allow a manual to
have at least one meal a day
electronic waste comes to Ghana from the
USA Australia Western Europe and Asia to
the tune of hundreds of tons per year
there's enough work here at the dump
site for everyone
waste collectors as well as those whose
job it is to provide anything the
collectors might need
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
Sam Issa Abubakar rubaba sells food and
has only been here at the site for two
weeks she's from the north of Ghana
there's no work at all Sam Issa is 18
but she hasn't finished high school yet
she still has two more years to go no
Kavita is not embarrass oh my gosh poor
Nina Manolis McCutchen school like the
command to assess and manage our nascent
dreams in Tanana Stan yularen Lima bacon
bacon a a fan of the new name is Shalem
we started this study scrubs that was
1991 you have a suitable now we have our
fourth out of 5,000 hours cup it's a
good business because we don't notice
our scrap yard like our local companies
dock do not abuse they look at miss we
supply them the iron will give them more
know so our work is number one Gunnar
[Music]
Harvey one three 1s we look out for lead
and cadmium which could easily affect
the people who spend time here the kids
who play around the adults themselves
and the beer to recommended level for
lead in the show as fonder
parts-per-million and you are getting a
bit of a thousand two thousand dependent
on where we did some work in 2010 where
blacksmith and the Ghana Health Service
we took 80 people here to check their
blood and urine to see the level of
contamination and it was quite high very
high quite high in terms of if you don't
get any medication you don't eat well
you don't move our way from this around
and over a period of time you fall sick
if you fall sick and you stood on their
medication definitely you will die
you burn any plastic we have toxin and
then you have combinations out of a list
of poisons which are ranking under the
highest poisons in the world the
combinations are much more dangerous and
a much faster working in your organism
shortening your life much faster as if
you are drinking every day rat poison
Victor Shaffer a manager of a waste
utilization company came to Ghana from
Germany working with waste here promised
a high income higher than in Western
Europe I'm actually have joined the bass
business to produce compost because
waste in ghana contains more organic
material as waste in europe i'm living
here for 40 years and i can say that the
situation as such has not improved and
that is really dramatic
we have enough loss it's not a question
that we don't have enough loss they have
environmental laws we have all the laws
but nobody's enforcing the law so
everybody is doing what he wants and
that is a problem and that causes
problem for all of these people here
just look at everything we will work to
worry we eat yeah it's very bad for us
absolutely look at human be living here
yes every day Rosa you must live in here
yes yes don't think about Arthur but in
yourself you have to think about because
you are also getting sick and if you are
getting sick you cannot care for the
children anymore so the action is really
serious and therefore we brought them
here to have also from the outsides of
international product to help us because
it's not good
the people which are going the site are
cashing in in this waste so they are
making everyday a lot of money of course
without taxes
[Music]
[Music]
a Manuel's family has always lived in
poverty when his mother was alive it
wasn't that hard for the boy she would
always find a way to feed her son but to
do this she had to work almost around
the clock Fabio Kassabian today has been
a good day for Manuel he's earned enough
to buy food and can now have a rest in
his temporary home these two and three
storage shacks are right next to the
dump site people eat sleep and keep
cattle here no one pays attention to the
smell coming from the dump site or the
fact that they are surrounded by poison
which on intent Allanson burns of modern
urban elites pombe knows everything in
vain do they only live in York and up
goes album cover food come couch on the
right you come good JA halogen mutation
and Aruba Soneji I'm gonna front bench
cars for hubs and the an chickens Kamala
la fille de belén de Sola gonna come on
hanky [ __ ] now come from Grandma
you can also argue if you are Finnick
that more people die on the road in
Europe
I see people dying from this raced in
figures maybe but when you count how
many people are sick and dying later and
how many of these kids have a very short
life and they are not registered while
they are dying nobody says oh they were
working a lot cope blushing
therefore they made only twenty to
twenty to twenty five years and then
they are dead this is the amount
Children's Hospital we on a daily basis
in future than anywhere from 200 cases
edition we do see cases coming from the
ablution area so these are these are
some of the general words that we have
here formally you know there will be
times won't be getting in so many
patients but now it seems like we're
getting cases throughout the year
because we serve we are seeing an
increasing number of chest infections so
it's possible you could be actually
talking to some of these
pollution pollutants coming from this
and backsides
[Music]
there are no official numbers as to how
many people died of deadly poisoning in
Alba blushy no one registers the number
of diseases caused by this ecological
disaster
[Music]
there are no statistics of it at all in
Ghana
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
anko blushy
has two sides on one side is the biggest
fruit market in west africa the biggest
fruit losing when the other side is
biggest contamination site in the whole
world not a little west africa so and
this is just a street in between though
that means we are also accepting that
when this kids are burning all these
rubbers and plastics and all that this
smokers opposite society to the fruit
market onions and all that so
effectively the people who buy from here
and you realize there were cattle be red
other side they will kill it'll cook
people eat so it's not only about the
people here by spirits to other parts of
a crowd
[Music]
maternity in Yakima nirupa nekima new
Tanisha
come on you to pump under the
traditional my freight cars opening a
new business some of them are not be
meaningful to my community so we can
take care of
[Music]
nabela Tom bass convenience
many large sell for you in the penalty
box from the meaning a lot of shopping
wh
so same connecting to try Daniel are
observe the agency Cola conjunct with
the Box man with the camera - condom
then but she repeating slavica what my
super card out of the next time when I
challenge the Zuccotti basket contract
with this look at the basket on
characters
[Music]
officially no electronic waste comes to
garner only secondhand devices which are
sold in shops barehanded me get maybe a
bear he'll be dependent and oh my now
you want donuts a ray or gang ok I'm for
church I taste it and I'm mama yet or
more yet spinning snare morrow egg now
you get these weird minute whole chata
to this and algorithm will pick it up
a drain um a map for amplifies with your
plants with map 24 lights off with Mesa
for see computer monitors they are all
secondhand goose
Oh bill right here repair go holla Donna
is not personal
intern oh no sir on your person they are
let's say no no be condemned no no yes I
don't mean necessarily that one enormous
are the foremost
yeah yeah oh yeah oh so now yes oh yeah
yeah yeah d20 yes yeah I should maybe be
a manager sat at mana home and then yet
been wanna marry you home
everybody oh yeah oh yeah we're creepy
ah no ladies you're all the victor
shaffer believes the trade of
second-hand electronics in Ghana is
really no more than a cover for a waste
traffic and it's highly profitable
turning over around two hundred and
fifty million dollars per year this is
somehow a mafia the ones which are
collecting this used computers over
there so what you do is you have a
40-foot container in the back of the
40-foot container you pack all the
computers we just crap money to us
whatever you want and in the front that
you pack servants which are still
functioning this is the main trick that
suppliers of e-waste use utilizing
broken down devices in developed
countries is too costly so they are sent
to Ghana to the dump site everybody
knows about the value of this containers
when you have a 40-footer
you can half calculate with a little bit
what you can sell and the scrap it is
inside there it's a forty thousand euros
affair to maximize his profit he selects
this poor boys which are coming from the
north and from all other sides to Accra
to find a little bit truck money
dialect you can never go to the expert
and they look my friend you may have the
guilty one
you have killed five kids in Africa yeah
this you cannot proof and of course he
will not take up the blame he will say I
have sold used materials to somebody who
came to my art and bought it I don't
know what he's doing now see Saladin
Ahmed Mohammed no sabemos McNabb oh no I
was copper no Oh midnight in Union
pursued is a new immediate you come
brother go from ursua honest one number
no offend you so much man of him no
conscience a new bar on contingency
unconcerned say you mean Gino McEwin on
offense
and some of them are here so everybody
works here and some people try here and
some people try here so you see how the
racket is and what is really hard work
so that's a business the dump site at
Agbo blushy is divided into sectors each
of which has its own supervisor but the
last word always belongs to Abdullah
Abdullah Rajamani have it program they
can't bring it yeah so our jackets if
you have right I will tell you you are
my diagraph right so that is V that is
that's not always somebody color
somebody's money or somebody offend
somebody they will come here I'll talk
to them so everything will be cool I was
not politician the bits of our people
were cutting here here the errors the
voice even yesterday I mean when they
solve the program for them so that this
will come down so the fight will stop
and sometime when they are as there are
police station or other places and
they're always doing
we said a counter for an economy toy boy
I mean from Nepal persuade miss economy
who make her two boys
[Music]
[Music]
born in the same environment collab you
know on the turbo name is Michi Imam now
I'm not a big mess on an open the
appropriate to availability variable
[Music]
maybe anyone
little chameleon annamaria yeah
recipient religion petrol family in
Chico besides Wilma come come
welcome back so you've relaxed all team
in the country
to feed themselves to survive in Accra
they have to get somehow in this system
the ones which are dealing with evinced
they know all that at the calculate
moment and if she gives them let's say
five or eight dollars it is a day so
that they can more or less survive the
boys have no choice they cannot say I
want more money there is if you want
more money okay kick you out
[Music]
[Music]
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