Coordinated action across environmental monitoring, industrial safety and public health is needed to curb lead exposure in Bangladesh, speakers said at a seminar in Dhaka on Wednesday.
They stressed the need for stronger environmental monitoring, safer industrial practices, remediation of contaminated sites and public health interventions to implement the country's national strategy to prevent lead exposure.
The seminar, titled “Advancing to a Lead-Free Bangladesh: Scaling Solutions, Driving Youth Action,” was organized by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the Department of Environment (DoE), in collaboration with Pure Earth Bangladesh, marking the 14th International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.
Held under the theme “From Detection to Prevention,” the event brought together government officials, researchers, development partners, civil society representatives and young people.
Chief guest Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo said the National Strategy and Multi-Year Action Plan for a Lead-Free Bangladesh 2026–2035 must be translated into funded work plans, capable institutions and measurable outcomes.
He called for sustained investment in testing facilities, laboratories, environmental monitoring, pollution-site remediation and safer industrial practices, alongside stronger public health responses. He also urged development partners and the private sector to support technology transfer, training and research.
The Cabinet approved the strategy on August 17, setting targets to reduce the proportion of children with elevated blood lead levels by 50% by 2030 and 95% by 2035.
Mitali Das, country director of Pure Earth Bangladesh, said the organization was working with the government and other stakeholders to advance an extended producer responsibility (EPR) directive for lead-acid batteries. The proposed directive aims to strengthen battery collection, traceability and environmentally sound recycling.
“Informal lead recycling is not good business when its profits come at the expense of children's health, government revenue and the environment,” she said.
Citing global research, Mitali said lead exposure was estimated to have caused around $28.6 billion in health-related economic losses in Bangladesh in 2019, equivalent to 6–9% of gross domestic product.
Mohammed Solaiman Haider, additional director general of the DoE, said the department was developing standard operating procedures and technical guidelines for the lead-acid battery industry to support inspections, monitoring, pollution control and regulatory compliance.
A technical working group has also been formed to establish permissible soil lead limits, he said.
Dr Quazi Ahmed Zaki, director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, called for stronger public health procedures to investigate lead exposure and respond to affected communities, noting that lead can cause harm before symptoms become apparent.
In a keynote presentation, Aftab Uz Zaman Khan, senior programme manager at Pure Earth Bangladesh, outlined interventions supporting the national strategy and shared findings from a lead-remediation initiative at SSR School in Labanchora, Khulna.
Endline tests conducted in September 2026 found a 17.5% reduction in median blood lead levels among 111 participants tested before and after the intervention. The median fell from 5.32 micrograms per decilitre in 2025 to 4.39 micrograms per decilitre.
The seminar also showcased youth-led approaches to lead pollution prevention. Sheikh Sajidul Islam of the Islamic University of Technology, a joint winner of the “Local Action for Lead-Free Communities: Youth-Led Solutions” competition, presented a poster titled “Surjo Garage: Turning Dhaka’s Dead E-rickshaw Batteries into a Lead-Free Switch.”
Winners of the youth solutions competition and the “Art for a Lead-Free Tomorrow” competition received awards.
The event also saw the launch of the National Youth Alliance for a Lead-Free Bangladesh to mobilise young people for prevention, advocacy and public awareness.
Pure Earth Bangladesh handed over two portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysers to the DoE. The devices can rapidly detect lead and other heavy metals on solid surfaces, supporting environmental monitoring and enforcement.
Mohammad Navid Safiullah, additional secretary of the MoEFCC, chaired the event. In his closing remarks, he said cooperation with Pure Earth offered a framework for technical collaboration on lead pollution prevention.
“The research, technical initiatives and youth participation presented today should feed into the wider implementation process. Their value will grow when lessons are shared with the institutions responsible for acting on them,” he said.
More than 100 representatives from government agencies, UN bodies, development partners, academia, civil society, the private sector, youth organisations and the media attended the seminar.
