Fishes and periwinkles from Ogoni waters in Rivers state have heavy metals and petroleum hydrocarbons and therefore unsafe for human consumption as they spread cancer disease, according to an independent research.

The research, facilitated by the Pulitzer Centre Crisis Reporting, equally noted that consumers of such seafood, particularly children, stand the risk of coming down with cancer disease and other cardiovascular disorders if nothing is done to halt the development.

The report was made public at a one-day multiple stakeholders engagement by the Centre, tagged, “Restoring Rivers, reviving livelihood, renewing life”, held in Akpor community, Gokana Council area of Rivers state, at the weekend.

The representative of the Pulitzer Centre, Anuoluwapo Adelakun, who spoke at the event, said the investigation was inspired by the plights of the locals who reside In the community.

According to her, “People were constantly going to the river to fish, pick periwinkles, swim and even fetch water for their daily chores while the environment is being cleaned up and most often, some of the catch they made were found to be laced with sludge suspected to be crude oil spill, which they would rinse in the river before taking them home for consumption, or even taken to the markets for sale.”

Expatiating, said, “It was out of curiosity of the possible health implication of consuming sea food from contaminated water that made us take samples from Bodo, K-Dere, Mogho and Gbee rivers.

“We discovered that while the cleanup is being carried out, people are still engaging with the water, fishing and eating the fish and periwinkle from the river, bathing and fetching the water for use despite the contamination.

“When we discovered this, we took samples of the water and the sediments of the fish and the periwinkle, and it was discovered that there is still high levels of heavy metals and petroleum hydrocarbons in the fish through viral accumulations, in other words, most of the people who are eating the fish, periwinkles and whatever they are catching from the polluted waters are likely to fall very ill in the long run, especially children,”Adelakun told journalists.

The event was attended by HYPREP, Nigeria Oil Spill Regulating Agency (NOSRA), Nigeria’s National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), civil society group, government representative, the academia, media, women and youths, among others.

Pressed further, Adelakun said, “The dialogue was meant to address the issues raised when we went to the communities.”

She was however quick to admit that HYPREP has clarified that some of the areas the samples were reportedly taken from as the cleanup is ongoing.

Part of the issues she noted was the complaints by the Ogoni indigenes over lack of access, communication gap between the (locals) and HYPREP.

In their different presentations, some of the affected persons including: Chief Nadabel John, Chief Emmanuel Pii and Mrs Grace Namon, expressed worry over the health implications of dwelling, eating and using water, food from the polluted environments.

Fielding questions from newsmen at the event, Mrs. Namon said, “Most of the things that are happening to us in life we didn’t know it’s as a result of the pollution both in the air, water and the creeks.

Speaking on behalf of the HYPREP, the Technical Assistant to the HYPREP Project Coordinator on Shoreline Cleanup, Peter Lenu disagreed with the claims by the research report that fishes and periwinkles were picked by fisher forks were covered in crude, insisting that it is scientifically impossible.

“Talking about fishes, especially periwinkle, fishermen go to pick periwinkles laden in hydrocarbon, fresh crude oil and then they literally have to wash it and then they take it home for eating. Scientifically you can’t find periwinkles in fresh hydrocarbons still alive. And that is an area that we need to set the record straight.”

Citing a UNEP report, Lenu revealed that “it will take several years, 25-30 years and the intervention is ongoing, the water quality is improving,” adding that “one of their findings said that the TPH levels in one of the locations that their study locations is about 277.5 milligram per kilogram.

“Scientifically when you have been able to get that kind of result of 277.5 milligram per kilogram for an area that was so contaminated that the baseline values for the average was over a 20,000 milligram per kilogram, that’s about 98% success that has been recorded in that area. And that is why I said significantly something has been done. But it’s a process,” he said. (The Nation)