Bangkok (AsiaNews) – Lead contamination is on the rise in Bangladesh and risks becoming a crisis, despite increased attention in recent years. Levels exceeding the permitted limits are found in a high proportion of children and pregnant women, but often the symptoms of lead-related illnesses do not allow a direct link to be established with this substance.
The sources of lead contamination are varied and not always immediately identifiable. They are mainly (though not exclusively) linked to battery recycling centres, manufacturing processes, and products placed on the market that originate from contaminated land used for agriculture or livestock farming. Another factor that makes it difficult to control lead pollution is how deeply ingrained it is in everyday life. The risk is not always geographically confined; it is present in vehicles powered by batteries and in the use of rechargeable batteries, in the paints used on walls, in products – such as turmeric – used in cooking, and even in children’s toys.
The multitude of sources and the varying levels of exposure would require a response spanning several sectors, but implementing this is complicated, because the difficulty of preventing lead from being disposed of in soil or water is compounded by the scarcity of disposal facilities and their poor efficiency.
The body of data on this subject is vast; however, it proves difficult to translate this knowledge into a system capable of preventing exposure at source.
Since 2011, the University of Dhaka and researchers from Pure Earth – an organisation working globally with various governments to monitor the spread of harmful substances – have been systematically documenting lead pollution throughout Bangladesh, following years during which exposure to this substance had been documented only in piecemeal studies and specialist reports. The new data now make it impossible to regard this as a marginal issue, because whilst the contaminant may be invisible, its consequences are anything but.
A recent nationally representative study estimates that nearly 40 per cent of children have blood lead levels exceeding the threshold set by the World Health Organisation, and that lead is responsible for 138,000 deaths a year from cardiovascular disease among those aged 25 and over. The ‘Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2025’, conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics with the support of UNICEF, found, amongst other things, that 38.34 per cent of children aged between 12 and 59 months and 7.54 per cent of pregnant women had elevated lead concentrations in their blood, using 5 micrograms per decilitre as the reference threshold. In a study conducted just two years earlier, the first figure stood at 65 per cent, based on the maximum level of 3.5 micrograms established in the United States. According to Priscilla Wobil, a UNICEF health expert in Bangladesh, these findings should not merely be seen as evidence of concentrated exposure to the contaminant in specific contexts. This is because, whilst lead may be invisible, its consequences are by no means so – including a significant decline in children’s IQ.
Intervention initiatives have shown encouraging signs. The 2026 study, published in the scientific journal *BMC Public Health*, examined communities living near disused battery recycling plants in the town of Mirzapur that had undergone remediation. Following the removal of the contaminated soil, residents reported improvements in crop yields, livestock health and children’s wellbeing, confirming that the situation can be improved, although the study highlighted concerns regarding the management of the remediated soil once it has been transferred elsewhere.
