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The study revealed that more than 9.6 million children in Bangladesh were found to have excess lead in their blood. The annual loss of which is about 20 million IQ points. Exposure to lead is also causing cognitive decline in these children.
Recently some studies have come up with this issue.
The issue was presented citing some researches at the Inception Workshop on Combating Lead Poisoning in Children in Bangladesh, organized jointly by SDO and UNICEF-Bangladesh on Wednesday. Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Saber Hossain Chowdhury was present as the chief guest.
In the speech of the Chief Guest, the Environment Minister emphasized the harmful effects of lead poisoning on children's health and the solution to the problem.
He said, currently Bangladesh is facing big challenges in protecting public health and environment. Along with economic development, it is imperative to take preventive measures to ensure a healthy environment for the future of our children and everyone.
A thematic presentation was presented in the workshop. It states that lead pollution is a serious environmental problem that threatens human health. Children in particular are the most affected by this lead poisoning. This affects their intellectual development, physical growth and overall well-being. Despite the ongoing efforts in the country to combat this pollution, children are suffering from lead poisoning from contaminated water discharged from industrial factories and lead-containing paints.
Statistics show that due to this, Bangladesh may face a loss of approximately 12 billion US dollars, which is equal to about 3.5 percent of the country's total GDP in 2019. Therefore, urgent steps need to be taken to ensure a safe and healthy future for future generations of Bangladesh by preventing lead poisoning.
Syed Margub Morshed, former Secretary to the Government of Bangladesh and Chairperson of ESDO, presided over the event. He noted that children in Bangladesh, like many other regions around the world, are facing the harmful effects of lead exposure. He emphasized on taking quick steps to tackle the problem of lead poisoning.
SK Rafiqul Islam, Chief Controller (Additional Secretary), Office of Chief Controller of Imports and Exports was present as the guest of honour. He said the mismanagement of waste, especially the lead emitted from e-waste, is threatening the health of children. He highlighted the need to give importance to recycling process and sound waste management to deal with this problem.
Bangladesh /MP
