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European, American and Japanese electronic waste poisoning the environment in Ghana

A Greenpeace analysis of soil and sediment taken from two electronic waste (e-waste) scrap yards in Ghana has revealed severe contamination with hazardous chemicals. The report "Chemical contamination at e-waste recycling and disposal sites in Ghana", released today, exposes the extent of environmental contamination caused by recycling and disposal of e-waste in Ghana. A team from Greenpeace, including a scientist, visited two scrap yards – one at Agbogbloshie market, in the capital city Accra,...

Tobacco Kills!

On 27 February 2005, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), took effect. That was the world's first public health treaty. Countries that signed on as parties agreed to a set of common goals, minimum standards for tobacco control policy, and to cooperate in dealing with cross-border challenges such as cigarette smuggling. Currently the WHO declares that 4 billion people will be covered by the treaty, which includes 168 signatories. Amongst other steps, signatories are to put...

UGANDA: New ARV factory off to a slow start

Much excitement greeted the opening of Quality Chemicals in 2007, the first manufacturer of antiretroviral (ARV) medication in East Africa, but six months later the production lines are still idle. The spacious factory, which cost about US$38 million and covers roughly 1,115 square metres, can produce around two million ARV tablets in an eight-hour shift, but the National Drug Authority (NDA) of Uganda has not yet granted it a license to produce the life-prolonging pills. A long inspection...

Hazardous substances reduced but not eliminated from laptops, says Greenpeace

A Greenpeace investigation into hazardous materials in laptop computers shows that manufacturers have phased out use of some of the most toxic materials over the past year but still have a long way to go in eliminating others, such as PVC and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and phthalates.(1) Greenpeace purchased 18 laptops representing six different brands in 14 countries in Europe, in North and South America and Asia and sent them for analysis by an independent laboratory in Denmark and...

Scientific tests reveal iPhone contains hazardous chemicals and materials, says Greenpeace

Amsterdam, International — Apple’s iPhone contains hazardous chemicals and materials, according to the results of scientific tests commissioned by Greenpeace and released today. This is the first testing of an Apple product following the commitment by Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, to a ‘Greener Apple’, in May 2007. An independent scientific laboratory tested 18 internal and external components of the iPhone and confirmed the presence of brominated compounds in half the samples, including in the...

How Do We Use Petroleum?

Oil and natural gas together make up petroleum. This compound of carbon and hydrogen can be found in many forms. Petroleum literally means "rock oil", which refers to its solid state called asphalt. Petroleum can also be found in two types of liquid form. Crude oil is dark and sticky. It’s called condensate if it’s clear and volatile. Condensate evaporates very easily. In the semisolid state, petroleum is called bitumen. So what is petroleum actually made of? It looks like a simple black gooey...

NEA forms security officers association

As the Gambia Government is committed to phase out the importation and consumption of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) by January 2010 as enshrined in the Montreal Protocol of 1987 of which The Gambia is a party, the National Environment Agency, (N.E.A) has recently formed associations of security officers on ODS in the Upper River, Central River, North Bank and the Lower River Regions. The formation of these associations came as a recommendation of training programmes on the detection and...

U.N Secretary-General’s Message on International Day for Preservation of Ozone Layer

Each year on September 16th, the world celebrates the occasion of the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone layer. In this year’s commemoration, the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has sent a strong message to the whole world. He said the battle to repair the ozone layer represents one of the great success stories of international cooperation. Levels of ozone-damaging substances in our atmosphere are falling, and initial signs suggest that the vital shield...

What is genetically modified food?

Genetically modified food is touted as necessary to save the world from starvation and bring untold benefits. But do we know enough about it to eat it right now? The debate over the genetic modification of the food we eat, rages on. On one side we have the corporate entities who have invested heavily in the science of GMO's (genetically modified organisms), the farmers and producers who have been sold on the idea of including these engineered items in their planting and production regimes,...

Science projects: how to make a volcano

Making a mock volcano is easy with basically vinegar and baking soda. Making a mock volcano is not a difficult task, but is very messy, because this volcano will actually erupt when mixing baking soda and vinegar together. Since this is a messy project, wearing old clothes is necessary as well as working on a pile of old newspapers. Working outside would be even better than working on a pile of newspapers because of the mess the volcano makes, and this is one experiment that does not have...