Environmental Pollution

Unregulated and primitive recycling at Agbogbloshie is known to pose serious risks to human health and the environment through the release of toxic materials into the air, soil, and the nearby Korle Lagoon. The men below had just finished incinerating heliax coaxial cables in the open and packing when I turned up there on a Sunday morning. Agbogbloshie in September 2020: Photo of an urban poor man arranging copper materials from recycled heliax coaxial cables. The wires had been burned in the open just by the Korle Lagoon. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantRecycling heliax cables at Agbogbloshie: Man arranges copper materials from burned heliax coaxial cables to be carted away. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantAgbogbloshie: Urban poor man arranges copper from recycled heliax coaxial cables at Agbogbloshie, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant. What Are Coaxial Cables? Recycled heliax coaxial cables at Agbogbloshie, Ghana. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Coaxial cables are used to carry high-frequency electrical signals — including broadband internet networking, cable television signals, and connecting radio transmitters and receivers to their antennas. Burning Heliax Coaxial Cables Release Highly Toxic Materials into the Environment Given polyvinylchloride (PVC) and polyethylene (PE) are used as insulating jacket materials, recycling heliax coaxial cables the usual Agbogbloshie way is a big problem. Man recycles heliax coaxial cables that are used to carry high-frequency signals by burning them in the open to remove the PVC/PE sheaths and foams. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka ChasantRecycling heliax coaxial cables at Agbogbloshie through open burning. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant Burning the PVC/PE outer sheaths and the foamed PE inside to recover the copper core release toxic substances, including carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloridehttps://www.ecmag.com/section/miscellaneous/effects-toxic-gases-emitted-burning-electrical-insulation, and hydrogen sulfide. Where Did the Heliax Coaxial Cables Came From and Where Are they Headed? Agbogbloshie: Urban poor man is happy they have just recovered copper from heliax cables. Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant The coaxial cables were collected from local sources. No one was willing to tell me where exactly they came from (in Ghana). I got the impression I probably shouldn’t know, so didn’t press it. Probably from cell sites and towers. The copper are weighed and sold at the Agbogbloshie scrapyard for instant cash. Some are used by the local industry. They are also regularly exported outside of Ghana, where they are used as primary inputs in the manufacturing of new products. While Ghana has adequate laws to protect the environment and human health, they are rarely enforced. Not even at Agbogbloshie, which is also the largest open food market in Accra, Ghana's capital city. Read more about Agbogbloshie here: Related: Agbogbloshie, Ghana (2020): Questions & Answers Copyright © 2020 Muntaka Chasant

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