According to a report released by the World Bank, Bangladesh is one of the countries most affected by pollution and environmental risks.
About 26 percent of the deaths in Bangladesh each year are due to environmental pollution. But the world average of such deaths is only 16 percent.
The World Bank has released a statistic in 2015 stating that the level of pollution in urban areas has reached alarming levels. They say that 60,000 people died in different cities of Bangladesh in 2015 due to pollution.
Comparing the Asian countries, the report said that while 26 per cent of deaths due to environmental pollution are in Bangladesh, the rate is 11.5 per cent in the Maldives and 26.5 per cent in India.
But what kind of diseases are more due to environmental pollution?
Bangladesh Environmental Protection Movement leader and preventive medicine expert. Lelin Chowdhury says there are several components to environmental pollution. Such as air pollution, water pollution, food pollution etc. As a result of all this, people are being harmed in one way or another
He says some of the damage is being done directly. For example, a child died after eating litchi mixed with pesticides or someone got sick after eating poisonous fish. Again some of the damage is long term. Such as mixing chemicals or pesticides or eating poisonous food damaged someone's kidneys. Or have contracted a lung infection from prolonged exposure to polluted air.
1. Impairing the development of children's intelligence and nerve damage
According to the report of the World Bank, poor women and children are suffering from pollution. Because most of them live in contaminated areas, there is also a risk of lead contamination, which can lead to the development of children's intelligence and neurological damage.
2. Physical harm to pregnant women
Living in contaminated areas can greatly increase the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth in pregnant women. Polluted air and water in these areas can pose a health risk to oneself and the unborn baby.
3. Air pollution damages eyes, respiratory system
The Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, a U.S. research institute, says exposure to contaminated air that contains chemical compounds can cause eye, nose or throat infections or damage. It can also cause various lung complications, such as bronchitis or pneumonia, headaches, asthma and various allergies. Scientists have found a link between air pollution and diabetes.
4. Cancer and heart disease
Experts say that long-term exposure to air pollution or working in such an environment can lead to lung cancer and heart disease. It can even cause long-term problems with the brain, liver or kidneys.
4. The effects of water pollution are very long lasting
The UK's Water Pollution Guide, which works to reduce pollution levels through water, says the long-term effects of water pollution are far greater than the temporary ones. Especially industrial wastes are much more harmful to the human body. The use of these water can cause diseases like skin diseases, typhoid, jaundice or hepatitis.
5. Damage through the food cycle
Scientists say that contaminated water or rivers contain fish or animals, and that the contaminants that are produced also spread to those animals. Through the food cycle, these harmful substances again enter the human body. As a result, even if they are not directly near the contaminated water, the contaminants enter the human body through these fish, which can lead to birth defects or cancer. Even lead, plastic and other harmful substances are entering the human body through the food cycle
The National Association of Noise Control in the United States says noise from the path can cause hypertension, ulcers, heart disease, headaches or nerve problems. Even in an environment of extra noise, a baby's birth defects can develop. Noise pollution can cause blood pressure, breathing problems and even digestive problems.
. Organs are losing effectiveness in food pollution
Many diseases of the intestines, liver, kidneys or stomach are losing their function due to food contamination. Various problems including gastric ulcer are being created. Sometimes these causes cause cancer. When children eat this kind of contaminated food from an early age, their immunity is reduced or their growth is hampered.
What is the way to avoid it?
“It is not enough to just look at the government or the authorities to avoid environmental pollution. We have to be aware of protecting the environment first. "
nobody can defend us from the hazards of the enviroment but us .