Abstract

Explore the susceptibility of the urban population of Bangladesh to air pollution, recommend measures to be adopted for prevention of air pollution. The large number of street children, local streetwalker and rickshaw puller in our country pose a definite threat to this air pollution. Young children are mostly exposed to cadmium (Cd) through inhalation of smokes and contaminated soils and dust from industrial emissions and sewage sludge. The high lead (Pb) in the environment from gasoline, paints, ceramics, batteries, etc has also been factor to increase the risk of polluted air.

The study was done through the latest Internet, seminar and literature survey on global and regional information on Environment, analysis of the existing situation in Bangladesh, and discussion with the national and International experts was held to know their views. Air pollution kills 15,000 Bangladeshis each year, according to a World Bank report released recently. The report says Bangladesh could save between $200 million and $800 million per year --about 0.7% to 3.0% of its gross national product --if air pollution in the country's four major cities was reduced.

The report adds that 6.5 million people in those cities suffer each year. And the major disease in Bangladesh is not diarrhea, as is the general perception, Air pollution kills an estimated 2.7-3.0 million people every year throughout the world, which is about 6% of all annual deaths. About 9 deaths in every 10 due to air pollution take place in the developing world, where about 80% of all people live. Again out of this 2.7 million, 1.6+ million die from Asian countries only. In 1995, for example, the average ozone concentration in Mexico City was about 0.15 parts per million, 10 times the natural atmospheric concentration and twice the maximum permitted in Japan or the US. The density of lead in the air of Dhaka is 463 nanograms per cubic metre, which is ten times more than the acceptable standard and several times more than the above mentioned cities, even than the most polluted city of Mexico.

The paper strongly warns against the danger of 'denial' and complacence. We do not want to die so disastrously. An appropriate measures must be taken as soon as possible, otherwise the sufferings of the children (specially who are at the age between 4 and 7) from gastrointestinal disorders, anemia, insomnia, weight loss, motor weakness, muscle paralysis, nephropathy, school drop-out and behavioural changes, may paralyze the nation in future. Not only that, this level of lead poisoning is a major factor responsible for decreasing the mental abilities of the children as a result of which the country will have acute shortage of intellectuals in the long run.