Management of Lead Contaminated Sites in Bangladesh

Better remediation strategies ultimately improve lives

The informal recycling of lead-acid batteries in developing countries causes severe lead contamination of soil resulting in permanent IQ loss among local children. This is also the case in Bangladesh where exposure to lead causes more than 4% of all annual deaths. The World Bank estimates there are over 1,100 lead-contaminated sites in Bangladesh. Together with Pure Earth and TAUW, we created a new toolkit that supports the remediation of informal used lead-acid battery recycling sites. Lead exposure creates several health hazards, especially for young children. Under Pure Earth’s Toxic Sites Identification Program, more than 250 individual lead battery recycling sites have been identified and assessed. One of these sites was assessed and remediated using the new toolkit. Through this project, we were able to reach over 3 million people to create awareness about the lead hazards, informal recycling and risk mitigation initiatives. We hope the toolkit will support the remediation of lead-contaminated soils worldwide. The toolkit is available for anyone interested.

You can read more about this project on Pure Earth’s website.