Most steel mills lack air pollution control system

Most steel re-rolling mills in and around the capital have been running without necessary air pollution control system posing risk of air pollution and health hazard, according to findings of the Department of Environment (DoE).
The DoE recently conducted drives at 17 re-rolling mills in the capital's Demra area, and found that about 90 percent of the mills are running without mandatory "fume extraction system", said a DoE press release.
As per the environment conservation laws, the mill owners must inform the DoE about any malfunctioning of the system, and suspend operation of the mills until the system is installed but they do not comply with the rule, said Mohammad Munir Chowdhury, a director at the DoE.
Fumes containing metals like lead and chromium are emitted from steel mills, he said adding that the Demra area's air contains 735 microgram lethal particles in per cubic metre, while the tolerable level in Bangladesh is 200 micrograms.
Highly toxic fumes can cause respiratory problems among the locals and destroy biodiversity, he said.