OFORIKROM, Ashanti Region - Women working in small-scale palm oil production face severe health risks from hazardous conditions involving high heat and constant exposure to toxic smoke, according to experts.

Thousands of women and being sickened and risking death from illnesses resulting from their work. Workers and health experts are now calling on the industry to clean up its act with cleaner cooking technologies and better healthcare access.

On a sunny afternoon here in Oforikrom, a community in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, 42-year-old Vivian Fori stands beside an open firewood stand stirring a big pot of deep red palm oil. A thick smoke fills the air.

Vivian Fori stirring a big pot of palm oil

Using her hand to wipe her teary eyes and sweating face, Vivian says she uses firewood to cook the whole day. She processes palm oil on a small scale, a job taught to her by her mother-in-law three years ago. It’s been a reliable source of income for her family.

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