Microplastic threatening lives: It's time to ban
Health, beauty and environmental experts, and concerned stakeholders yesterday in a workshop demanded a ban on the use of microplastic, especially microbeads, to combat environment pollution and thus protecting human lives and marine health in the Bay of Bengal.
The event was organised by Environment and Social development Organization-ESDO at a hotel in the capital, said a press release. The session was chaired by ESDO Chairperson Syed Marghub Murshed, a former secretary.
Microbeads are plastic particles less than 1mm in size that can be spherical or irregular in shape and produced in a multitude of colours. In Bangladesh, microplastics pollution is a new phenomenon and manufacturers and consumers are not aware of the negative impact of microplastic and the microbeads, said speakers.
Microbeads in beauty products and toothpaste can be harmful for skin and teeth.
According to a study finding of ESDO, Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet city dwellers release a huge quantity of microbeads every month which are dumped into water bodies and wetland. The huge amount of microbeads content accumulate toxic contaminants and can also cause heart disease, type-2 diabetes, cancer, obesity in human body, small tears in skin leaving it vulnerable to bacteria.
ESDO is going to kick off a project with an aim to reduce the use of microplastics in Bangladesh.
Md Ziaul Haque, director (AQM), Department of Environment (DoE), and Mahmood Hasan Khan, former DoE director, were present among others.
Comments