Lead is a silent killer. Many of us are not aware of the issue of lead pollution. This is being discussed worldwide. The World Health Organization has identified lead as one of the most harmful chemical elements for public health. According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), about one million people in the world have died prematurely due to lead pollution. Death and health risks are relatively high in low- and middle-income countries.
The toxic metal lead is quite readily available and has spread to the environment due to its use in various ways for thousands of years. People are exposed to lead in various ways. Lead is a toxic heavy substance. Which is very harmful to our health. Lead melts and evaporates at very low heat. As a result, it is mixed with various substances to improve their quality. Lead enters the human body in three ways: food and drinks, breathing and skin.
It mixes with the blood in the body and affects everything including the liver, kidneys, bones. It affects the soft muscle systems of the body. It stays in the blood for six to seven weeks. When lead enters the human body, it is not easily released. Lead is mainly deposited in our bones and teeth. Where it can stay for 20 to 30 years.
We can easily identify other environmental pollution. For example, water pollution causes changes in taste, smell and color. Air pollution causes blurred vision or difficulty breathing. But lead pollution occurs completely silently. It cannot be detected with the naked eye.
Lead is a catalyst in all types of pollution. Lead is also found in water, air and soil pollution. A notification was first issued under the Environmental Protection Act in 2006 to control it. There are laws related to this. But not all issues are covered by the law. In the United States, there is a law restricting the use of lead-containing paints.
Lead is involved in every pollution. Therefore, this issue needs to be included in all relevant laws. The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on lead control mention clinical management. Implementing them in our country is a bit difficult. A recent report reported that two lead factories were closed in a campaign by the Department of Environment.
The Department of Environment is responsible for controlling all the country's environmental problems. It is difficult for them to control them alone. In addition, there is a manpower shortage and structural changes in the Department of Environment. Inter-ministerial coordination is very important to solve this problem. All those concerned need to come together to find a solution to prevent lead pollution. Discussions have started on this issue. In addition, a UNICEF campaign is underway. These activities will continue and more solutions will be found in the future.
Red and yellow pencils used by children also contain a lot of lead. The materials used to make lead-free paints cost five times more. Therefore, the duty on lead-free paints needs to be reduced.
In the United States, the use of lead-based paints in residential buildings was banned in 1978. Many countries have enacted laws to reduce the amount of lead in paints. But according to data available as of 2020, at least 76 countries that are members of the World Health Organization do not have any regulations or obligations regarding the production, import, sale, and use of lead-based paints.
The use of lead-acid batteries in LIC has increased exponentially due to the increasing demand for low-cost battery-powered vehicles. Almost all lead-acid batteries are made from recycled old batteries and scrap metal. Almost all of the lead used in batteries can be recovered and recycled even after they are old.
Old batteries are melted down to obtain crude lead, which is used as a raw material to make new batteries. E-waste, including batteries used in cars in developed countries, is exported to developing countries, much of which ends up in informal lead factories in Southeast Asia and Africa, exposing the region to additional lead pollution.
On the one hand, the high demand for aluminum utensils and on the other hand, its large supply from the recycling market has led to the establishment of a huge aluminum industry in the world. Lead plating is also used in pottery to make utensils shiny.
Lead chromate is a cheap chemical yellow dye commonly available in the market, which is being contaminated with lead due to its regular use in preparing domestic food. Turmeric traders who sell low-quality roots and bring poor-quality turmeric powder mixed with lead to increase their profit margins.
Diesel and petrol contain lead. Although the use of leaded petrol has been stopped globally in 2024. There is no alternative to awareness to save the next generation from the harm of lead pollution.
There is no good system for recycling batteries in our country. Although there are some specific places in Dhaka, the complete recycling process is not followed. Again, when lead is melted and separated from the battery, some of the lead causes soil and water pollution in various ways. The lead plates in the batteries are broken down for reuse.
In the smoke generated during the melting of lead, some lead is mixed with the air. It then enters the human body through inhalation. The melted lead then mixes with the soil. This lead then mixes with rainwater and spreads over the land. It enters the human body through grains and farmed fish.
Exposure to lead during pregnancy can affect a baby's normal development and can cause developmental problems ranging from vision, hearing, and learning disabilities to behavioral problems. According to statistics from various times, children with blood lead levels of 2.4-10 micrograms per deciliter have lower intelligence, perform less well in school, and earn less money throughout their lives.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has lowered the blood lead risk level from 60 micrograms per deciliter to 5 micrograms per deciliter. However, there is no proven safe level for blood lead; especially for children. The bottom line is that the problem or risk increases with the higher levels of lead used and exposed.
Children are the most affected by lead pollution. Bangladesh ranks fourth in the world in terms of the number of children affected by lead pollution. Currently, an estimated 35 million children in Bangladesh have high levels of lead in their bodies. Lead pollution hinders children's physical growth, intelligence, and intellectual development.
Research shows that the country loses Tk 1.28 trillion annually due to low productivity of human resources due to lead-related intellectual deficiency alone. This amount is 6 percent of Bangladesh's average domestic product (GDP). Children in our country are becoming stunted. Lead pollution may be related to this.
On the occasion of the 'International Lead Pollution Prevention Week' at BICC, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and UNICEF organized a national workshop to formulate a strategy to build a lead-free Bangladesh.
About 800 million children worldwide have high levels of lead in their blood. Most of them live in low-income countries. This is because lead is used and polluted more often there, and it is not monitored and controlled like in high-income countries. Most of the children are from Asia and Africa, but this proportion is not low in the United States and European countries either.
Lead pollution has a multifaceted and long-lasting impact on children’s health and development, which they suffer from throughout their lives. There is even evidence that lead toxicity causes long-term damage to the brain and nerves of children, which is a major cause of increased aggression and crime.
Following rules and precautions in manufacturing is the main way to prevent this damage.
Therefore, it is necessary to completely eliminate lead pollution from all sources through strict safety regulations. We must remain committed to reducing lead exposure. At the same time, governments must ensure that all children can eat in a safe, secure and healthy environment, have access to education and grow to their full potential. It is very important to take these initiatives very soon; the longer people are exposed to lead, the greater the health risks will be.
According to experts, some steps need to be taken to combat lead. Such as—
1. All sources of lead pollution need to be identified;
2. The World Health Organization standards need to be followed to prevent lead pollution in industrial paints;
3. Import and use of lead can be discouraged by imposing additional duties on any lead-containing material;
4. Necessary policies need to be formulated to control the use of lead and prevent pollution;
5. Lead pollution must be prevented to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
6. Lead-containing battery recycling factories need to be brought under regular surveillance;
7. It is important to create widespread public awareness about the harmful effects of lead pollution;
8. It is necessary to implement proper enforcement of the law to stop the use of lead in spices, food, jewelry, toys and cooking utensils;
9. It is necessary to create laboratories to measure lead levels;
10. Research is also necessary to prevent lead pollution;
11. Blood lead detection programs need to be taken at the national level
12. Coordination between the initiatives of the relevant government, private sector and development partners is necessary.
Dr. Anwar Khasru Parvez, Researcher and Professor, Department of Microbiology, Jahangirnagar University, [email protected]
