By Joyce Onuora, Abakaliki
A Professor in the Department of Industrial Chemistry, Ebonyi State University, Prof. Wilberforce Oti, has called on government to help sensitize the public on the dangers of consuming contaminated farm produce from mining areas, as 90% of crops from Ebonyi mining areas including; tubers, fruits and vegetables have been contaminated with Lead.
Prof Oti who made the call during his 30th inaugural lecture at the university, explained that the contamination is as a result of mining activities in areas like Enyigba, where lead from the
mining sites leaches into the soil and is absorbed by crops.
“From my own research, it is not the entire Ebonyi but areas like Enyigba, about 20% of the people are already affected by lead-related issues because of the answers they gave to our questionnaires,” he said.
“Secondly, most of the plants that are coming from these polluted areas, 90% of them are already polluted, because the moment there is lead in the soil, the plants will absorb it,” Prof. Oti added.
He further explained that while some areas not affected by lead contamination are safer for farming, many crops from the polluted areas are sold outside the region, leading to the spread of contaminated produce.
Prof. Oti stressed on the serious health risks involved in consuming contaminated crops, particularly for pregnant women, as lead stored in the bones can be transferred to unborn children, potentially causing severe birth defects.
He therefore recommended the adoption of phytoremediation, a process that uses specific plants to remove toxic metals from the soil, to restore the land for safe farming.
“The government should step in, those plants that are already affected by metal pollutants should be banned, and farmers should be encouraged to use land that is not polluted to plant their crops because in time, a lot of people will be affected with diseases that are associated with lead and other toxic metals. Also, they should be educated and enlightened to know that some of the plants they are eating now will eventually affect them,” he urged.
Prof. Oti also emphasized the need for more research and funding to identify additional plants suitable for phytoremediation and to explore nanotechnology to improve the process’s efficiency.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of Ebonyi State University, Prof. Chigozie Ogbu, commended the significance of inaugural lectures in advancing academic research. He noted that the university has held 30 such lectures under his leadership, contributing to its high academic ranking.
