Scientists at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Oregon State University are using zebrafish to determine the extent to which toxins from illegal mining activities, locally known as galamsey in Ghana, are damaging the human body.

It comes after research revealed a pattern of babies being born with deformities and organ damage, as people living in these areas continue to die of organ malfunction.

With the support of professionals from Oregon State University in the USA, the researchers hope to adapt workable protocols that help maintain the sanity of the environment in other countries.

The zebrafish, of length less than 3cm, swim in the laboratory aquarium system where they are being hatched and developed.

The genes of the zebrafish are similar to humans, hence their adoption for ecotoxicology research globally.

Due to similarities, factors that damage the organs of the fish have a similar impact on the human body.

Pharmacologist Prof. George Ainooson explains that the negative impact of water samples from illegal mining sites on these fish could be likened to the impact on newborn babies.

It is believed that the use of cyanide solution, mercury, among other chemicals, in illegal mining continues to cause deaths in mining communities.