UNB, Dhaka :
Children from different educational institutions urged the government to ban the production and import of paints containing lead with a view to ensure safe environment and future in Bangladesh.
The demand was made from a human chain, organised by Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO), in the capital on Friday.
The human chain was formed at 10am in front of the National Press Club aiming to raise awareness about lead poisoning. Children from different educational institutions participated in the human chain, said a press release.
ESDO is a member of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint (GAELP), a jointly led initiative of the World Health Organization and the United Nations Development Programme.
The broad objective of the alliance is to promote a phase-out of the manufacture and sale of paints containing lead and eventually to eliminate the risks that such paints pose, it said.
Lead paint has been banned in industrialized countries for over 30 years, but continues to be sold throughout the developing world causing significant harm to human health and the environment.
Exposure to lead is particularly dangerous for children; it inhibits intellectual and physical development and can cause poor concentration, disruptive behavior and can even result in death, it added.
