Toxic Free Africa
As part of our global outreach, TFFFOC is concentrating on Africa, due to the fact that a recent study of 176 nations found that most of the top 10 most vulnerable to environmental pollution are in Africa.
The Toxic Free Africa! project is led by the amazing Jaha Dukureh, who was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for her work on getting female genital mutilation (FGM) banned on the continent. Jaha is also currently the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for Africa.
Toxic pollution in the environment, be it dirty air, contaminated water or unhealthy soils, and climatic shifts resulting in warmer temperatures, extreme weather or land degradation, are all endangering human health across Africa.
Africa is quickly developing a dependency on agricultural pesticides. Africa’s rapid widespread adoption of pesticides is troubling because it suggests there is an abundance of new users who are typically unaware of the environmental damage and human health consequences of pesticide use. Africa is at risk of widespread pesticide poisoning!
Recent research from IPEN and Basel Action Network (BAN) also revealed the dire human exposures and food chain contamination from highly toxic plastics in waste in Africa that includes toxic e-waste shipped from Europe. Researchers found the highest levels of brominated and chlorinated dioxins— some of the most hazardous chemicals on Earth— ever measured in free range chicken eggs in Agbogbloshie, Ghana.
There are many more toxic chemical issues in Africa and it is about time that there is a concerted effort to raise awareness and protect public health on the continent! For this purpose, Toxic Free Future for Our Children is starting an online and on-the-ground education program in Africa – Toxic Free Africa!