Experts urge urgent action to stop lead-leaking industrial sites from harming children in Dhaka

Experts at a discussion in the city on Wednesday urged urgent action to stop lead-leaking industrial sites from harming children in Dhaka.

icddr,b organised the discussion titled “Fighting Lead Poisoning in Bangladesh – Progress Made, Challenges Ahead” to highlight the widespread and preventable burden of lead exposure in Bangladesh and explore opportunities for urgent intervention.

Dr Sarah Salway, Senior Director, Health Systems and Population Studies Division (HSPSD), underscored how lead exposure remains a major but overlooked public health threat in Bangladesh, particularly for children living near polluting industries.

Lead, a toxic heavy metal, has been silently harming the health of millions, especially young children and pregnant women.

According to UNICEF, Bangladesh is now the 4th most lead-impacted country globally, with 36 million children suffering from elevated blood lead levels.

Prof Steve Luby, Professor of Medicine at Stanford University and a former Director at icddr,b, highlighted how lead exposure severely impairs brain development, causing IQ loss and cognitive deficits that can permanently affect future generations.

Dr Md. Mahbubur Rahman, Project Coordinator at icddr,b, presented findings from a decade of lead-related research.

One of the most impactful interventions to date has been targeting turmeric adulteration (polished with lead chromate).

Dr Jesmin Sultana, Assistant Scientist at icddr,b, shared the preliminary findings of a recent study (between 2022–2024) in Dhaka involving 500 children aged 2–4.

She noted that every child had detectable blood lead levels (median BLL: 67 µg/L), with 98 percent exceeding the CDC’s reference value of 35 µg/L. Children living within 1 km of the identified lead-related industrial sites had 43 percent higher blood lead levels than those living more than 5 km away.

The briefing called on authorities to urgently address these industrial sites, whose relocation or remediation could dramatically reduce exposure in affected communities.

Dr Tahmeed Ahmed, Executive Director of icddr,b, emphasised that we must act decisively to eliminate these sources of exposure so that every child can grow up healthy, smart, and ready to contribute to our nation.

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