Editorial
Don’t singe meat with car tyres, it’s harmful
In last week’s edition of The Spectator, we published a story headlined “Meat singed with car tires dangerous” which was attributed to the Ghana News Agency (GNA).
Meats that have been heated to eliminate hair, shrink the skin, and give it a clean appearance are known as singed meats.
According to the report, eating meat that has been singed, especially from burning tyres, can be dangerous because it may contain heavy metals that can build up in the body and damage organs like the kidneys.
A collaborative investigation conducted by Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, and the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, led to this discovery.
It was discovered that meats smoked with car tyres contained dangerous amounts of chemicals that cause cancer. This should be a health issue for everyone, particularly in places where inappropriate smoking is prevalent.
Additionally, the study found that meats smoked with car tyres in Ghana have high concentrations of dangerous compounds that raise the risk of cancer.
Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of these compounds, according to the researchers who examined meats smoked using fuel sources such as firewood, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and car tyres.
This is due to the fact that burning tyres generates heavy metals that can taint meat and, if consumed, can lead to neurological issues, developmental problems in children, and renal damage – all of which are currently major health concerns in Ghana – among other serious health effects.
They consequently called for stronger regulations to stop the use of car tyres for singeing and suggested that safer alternatives, such as LPG, be used for singeing meat, particularly in abattoirs.
They also emphasised the urgent need to investigate and promote alternative singeing techniques. However, according to the experts, LPG can be suggested as a safer substitute for conventional fuels like firewood and car tyres.
The Spectator agrees with the researchers’ recommendations that, in order to safeguard the public’s health and guarantee that customers are not exposed to dangerous compounds, authorities should implement stronger rules governing the use of car tyres for meat singeing and impose severe fines for noncompliance.
Editorial
Make Heritage Day celebration compulsory for workers
Dear Editor,
I want to use this platform to suggest that the celebration of Heritage Month is declared compulsory, especially for workers in state agencies.
It is very interesting watching broadcasters adorned in diverse traditional regalia on our screens, telling the stories of the various tribes in the country.
But away from the television sets, there is practically nothing to see in town suggesting the celebration of such an important activity.
Once in the month, we also see our school children celebrating the event by dressing to depict where they come from.
But just as was done with the Chocolate Day celebration, I wish to suggest that workers in state agencies are forced to partake in the event. Within that month, every working staff should be made to dress in African prints or ones that would show where they come from.
That, to a large extent would give people a lot of education about their ancestry and their cultural values.
I have a few friends that are Gas from the Greater Accra region but because their parents stayed in other regions and gave birth to them outside Accra, they have little or no idea about where they actually come from.
Some of these activities would go a long way to educate such people to know their real homes.
I expect the Ministry of Tourism to play an active role in the success of this exercise.
Stella Twum,
Central Region
Editorial
Make Heritage Day celebration compulsory for workers
Dear Editor,
I want to use this platform to suggest that the celebration of Heritage Month is declared compulsory, especially for workers in state agencies.
It is very interesting watching broadcasters adorned in diverse traditional regalia on our screens, telling the stories of the various tribes in the country.
But away from the television sets, there is practically nothing to see in town suggesting the celebration of such an important activity.
Once in the month, we also see our school children celebrating the event by dressing to depict where they come from.
But just as was done with the Chocolate Day celebration, I wish to suggest that workers in state agencies are forced to partake in the event. Within that month, every working staff should be made to dress in African prints or ones that would show where they come from.
That, to a large extent would give people a lot of education about their ancestry and their cultural values.
I have a few friends that are Gas from the Greater Accra region but because their parents stayed in other regions and gave birth to them outside Accra, they have little or no idea about where they actually come from.
Some of these activities would go a long way to educate such people to know their real homes.
I expect the Ministry of Tourism to play an active role in the success of this exercise.
Stella Twum,
Central Region
