By Martin Mattsson
Air pollution in Bangladesh is not just an environmental issue — it is a public health catastrophe. It is estimated that ambient air pollution causes 90 thousand deaths every year in Bangladesh. Imagine if an industrial accident had caused as many deaths — and that too every year. Countless more people suffer from chronic illness, lost productivity, and reduced well-being. This makes air pollution an enormous burden on the economy as well.
But this crisis is not hopeless. Drawing on recent research, including my own, and the insights I gained from working with policy-makers in Bangladesh, this article unpacks the air pollution challenge, clarifies common misconceptions, and proposes concrete steps that can address the problem. While many of these steps are at the level of policy and government action, I will also provide some practical measures that you, as an individual, could take to protect yourself and your family.
THE PROBLEM OF AIR POLLUTION IN BANGLADESH
Air pollution in Bangladesh is among the most severe in the world. The largest health harm is caused by very small particles — those with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less (scientifically known as PM2.5). These particles are so small that they cannot be seen, and they can bypass our bodies’ natural filters and enter our bloodstream when we inhale them.
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) guideline is that there should not be more than 5 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic metre of air (5 µg/m³), but in Bangladesh, the national average in 2023 was 62 µg/m³ — 12 times higher than the WHO guideline. According to the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI), Bangladeshis lose, on average, 5.5 years of life expectancy compared to a scenario in which the WHO guideline is met. In districts such as Dhaka and Gazipur, more than seven years of life expectancy is lost.
Air pollution affects our health by increasing the risk of many conditions, including heart attacks, strokes, respiratory infections, asthma, and lung cancer. Although it is never possible to know with certainty whether a health condition in a specific individual is caused by air pollution, research has shown that air pollution increases the share of the population that suffers from and dies of these conditions.
In addition to the health costs, there is increasing evidence that air pollution substantially reduces productivity in both physically and cognitively demanding jobs. This means that high levels of air pollution make us less productive and ultimately economically poorer.
WHERE DOES THE POLLUTION COME FROM?
Scientists broadly agree on the main sources:
• Power generation (especially coal- and oil-fired power plants and diesel generators)
• Open waste burning
• Traffic (especially old buses and trucks)
• Brick kilns
• Other industries (e.g. steel mills and fertiliser plants)
• Households burning solid fuel (e.g. firewood) for cooking
• Dust from roads and construction
• Natural causes such as sea salt and soil dust
• Pollution entering Bangladesh from other countries
There is still debate among scientists about how large each of these contributing sources is. What we do know is that there is no single main source that, if reduced, would allow us to solve most of the problem. Therefore, a multi-pronged approach that addresses multiple sources simultaneously will be necessary.