To stop the use of lead in paint in Bangladesh by 2017, ESDO and Bangladesh Paint Manufacturers Association (BPMA)  demanded the government to enact specific policies and regulations yesterday. They urged this at the “High Level Policy Dialogue on Lead Free Paints in Bangladesh” organized by ESDO on 27 October at ESDO’s head office. The objective of this meeting was to set up the immediate standard of 50 ppm by 2015 and a complete elimination of lead from Bangladesh by 2017.

The policy dialogue constituted with high officials of Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), Department of Environment (DoE), Bangladesh Standard Testing Institute (BSTI), several paint industries such as Berger Paints, Moon Star Paints, Roxi Paint, RAK Paint, Anchor Paint and Elite Paints.

Syed Marghub Murshed, Chairperson of ESDO and former Secretary, Government of Bangladesh said, “We must provide our children with pollution free environment for ensuring sound growth and development of children. As a result of the continuous policy advocacy of ESDO, several large and medium companies in Bangladesh have recently started manufacturing and selling lead free paints.”After ESDO, now the government should come forwared and prepare a regulation to eliminate the use of lead in paints by 2017 and set up the immediate standard of 50 ppm by 2015.” Mr. Mahmood Hasan Khan and Mr. Sultan Ahmed, Director, Department of Environment, said, “Department of Environment has been working on eliminating lead in paint. Very soon we will be able to make the standard lead content in paints to be 50 ppm. ”