Photo: Collected
Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan has emphasised the urgent need to address lead and heavy metal poisoning, calling it a “silent crisis demanding immediate attention.”
She stressed the importance of a comprehensive action plan to identify and mitigate major sources of toxic metal exposure in the country.
The adviser was addressing the national workshop titled "Lead-Free Bangladesh: How Do We Get There?" in the capital.
She also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to working with all stakeholders to eliminate lead poisoning by 2040.
Highlighting the need for robust data, Rizwana said that nationally representative information on lead exposure is essential for effective policy making.
She thanked UNICEF and the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics for their support in tackling contamination sources and advancing evidence-based interventions.
The workshop, organised by the Environment Ministry in collaboration with UNICEF on the occasion of International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, aimed to deepen understanding of the health impacts of heavy metals, particularly on children, and to engage both government and private stakeholders in addressing this critical issue.
Studies presented during the workshop revealed alarming blood lead levels among children across Bangladesh, indicating exposure risks from air, water, soil, food, and products like paints and cookware.
Rapid industrialization has intensified lead contamination, with young children most vulnerable to its devastating effects on cognitive and physical development, the studies showed.
Environment Secretary Dr Farhina Ahmed presided over the event, while Statistics & Informatics Division Secretary Mahbub Hossain, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh Rana Flowers and USAID Mission Director Reed Aeschliman, among others, spoke on the occasion.
Messenger/Fameema
