Over 35 mln Bangladesh children face dangerous lead poisoning

6/11/2024 18:13

        The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has called for a multi-sectoral action plan among all relevant Bangladesh ministries to respond to lead poisoning and strengthen laboratory capacity in the health and environment sectors to test heavy metals.
        
        Globally, Bangladesh ranks fourth in the number of children affected by lead pollution, and over 35 million children in the country have dangerously high lead levels in their blood, UNICEF reported in a workshop in Dhaka on Tuesday.
        
        The workshop showcased evidence and findings from previous research that show alarming blood lead levels among children, the sources, and the contamination pathways affecting them and raised the importance of having national representative data on blood lead levels.
        
        Bangladesh's Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, jointly with UNICEF, organized the national workshop, marking the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.