Dhaka’s air pollution crisis has intensified dramatically, transforming from an environmental concern into a serious public health emergency.
Bangladesh now ranks among the world's most polluted countries, ranked third this week, according to the 2024 IQAir World Air Quality Report released in early 2025.
Bangladesh recorded an average PM 2.5 level of 78 µg/m³, second only to Chad. Dhaka also reported a yearly average of 78 µg/m³, more than twice the national safety standard of 35 µg/m³ and about 15 times higher than the World Health Organization's recommended limit of 5 µg/m³.
The impact of Dhaka’s polluted air goes far beyond environmental nuisance, which significantly affects people's health, particularly their hearts.
A groundbreaking study published in Radiology in July 2025 by researcher Du Plessis found that long-term exposure to PM 2.5, a key component of Dhaka’s smog, causes scarring of the heart muscle, a condition known as diffuse myocardial fibrosis.
The scarring reduces the heart’s ability to pump blood efficiently, increasing the risk of heart failure, strokes, and sudden cardiac events.
In Dhaka, where PM 2.5 frequently reaches levels of 75 -- 80 µg/m³, the danger is much greater.
Cardiologists are increasingly concerned that this chronic exposure could lead to a hidden epidemic of cardiovascular diseases. For Dhaka residents, breathing polluted air is now a constant and serious health risk.
A looming threat
The sources of Dhaka’s pollution are well-known and hard to escape.
Vehicles pour exhaust onto jam-packed streets; thousands of brick kilns and factories belch soot; construction projects churn out dust; and open trash fires add a toxic smoky layer.
One analysis estimates construction dust alone contributes around 30% of Dhaka’s particulate pollution, with brick kilns and factories adding another 29%, and vehicle emissions 15%.
Seasonal winds carry in an extra 10% from across the border.
The result is a year-round toxic brew: In the winter months, Dhaka’s air quality index commonly spikes to a hazardous range.
A health-impact study found that if Bangladesh met its PM 2.5 standard (35 µg/m³), 19% of pollution deaths would be prevented; meeting the WHO guideline (5 µg/m³) could slash 79% of those deaths.
In Bangladesh as a whole, 102,456 deaths per year are attributable to air pollution. Cutting Dhaka’s pollution to safe levels could potentially prevent about 30,000 heart-disease deaths each year, along with large reductions in stroke and lung disease fatalities.
Heart disease on the rise
Doctors increasingly see Dhaka’s pollution as a direct cardiovascular threat. In 2024, Bangladesh’s air quality ranked as the second worst globally.
On a typical winter day, the city’s air quality index plunges deep into the “unhealthy” zone, levels known to inflame blood vessels and trigger heart attacks.
The toll on hearts is grim. Studies estimate pollution related to illness already causes some 102,000 premature deaths in Bangladesh each year.
Nearly one-third of those are due to ischemic heart disease (heart attacks). In other words, Dhaka’s dirty air is likely contributing to thousands of heart attack deaths every year.
The burden is felt across the board: The World Bank estimates Bangladesh loses 263 million work days per year to pollution-related illness, and emergency visits for heart and lung problems surge on bad-air days.
Nationwide, health experts are sounding the alarm too. A recent Lancet report highlighted how Dhaka’s air quality index often soars past 300, officially classified as hazardous, and warned that such extreme pollution is driving up cases of cancer, lung disease, and heart problems.
Linking four of Bangladesh’s top ten causes of death. Children are especially vulnerable. WHO estimates more than 5,000 child deaths each year from pneumonia caused by PM 2.5, while prenatal exposure increases the risks of premature births and low birth weights.
What’s next for Dhaka?
Faced with this evidence, experts are urging urgent action. In November 2024, the Bangladesh interim government unveiled a ‘National Air Quality Management Action Plan’, pledging new regulations on industry, traffic, and waste burning, plus investment in cleaner technologies.
This is a critical step, but enforcement will be key. Many Dhaka residents are skeptical: while authorities advise wearing masks and staying indoors on bad days, low-income workers say they have no choice but to breathe the air day after day.
In the meantime, health professionals stress what people can do: on high-smog days, a well-fitted N95/KN95 mask can sharply cut inhalation of fine particles. Using indoor air purifiers or simply keeping doors and windows closed can also reduce personal exposure. These measures only protect individuals; the ultimate solution must be to cut pollution itself.
A Lancet editorial on Dhaka’s crisis called for immediate steps -- strict inspections of polluting factories and construction sites, bans on open waste burning, and even distributing masks and air purifiers to vulnerable communities as a stopgap.
In the long term, Dhaka needs a fundamental change in its approach to dealing with pollution. For example, using cleaner fuels, modern public transport, and green urban planning.
The bottom line is clear: Dhaka’s air pollution is far more than an environmental nuisance -- it is a cardiovascular crisis. “The inflammation and oxidative stress caused by air pollution can increase the risk of heart disease, contributing to higher mortality rates,” as Dr. Nangia notes.
Clean air must become a public health priority in Dhaka to avert a surge of heart attacks and strokes.
Indeed, studies warn that this polluted air has already shortened lives nearly five years on average for Dhaka city dwellers, underscoring that breathable air is essential not just for every lung, but for every heart in the city.
Malik Al Hasan Shuvo works at the International Centre of Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) and is a graduate from the Department of Disaster Science and Climate Resilience, University of Dhaka.