HC orders probe into microplastics found in 26 toothpaste samples

The High Court today directed the government to form a three-member expert committee, to be led by a teacher from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), to investigate the presence of microplastics in 26 out of 34 toothpaste samples available in the market.

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Study finds microplastics in 3 out of 4 toothpaste samples

The committee has been asked to submit its report to the court within 15 days.

The court also directed the health secretary and the director general of the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) to comply with the order.

The HC bench of Justice Khizir Ahmed Choudhury and Justice Md Ziaul Haque passed the order following a writ petition filed by Advocate Md Abdullah Al Mamun, a Supreme Court lawyer, seeking necessary directives.

Advocate Mamun filed the petition yesterday as a public interest litigation, requesting the court to direct the government to investigate the discovery of potentially harmful microplastics in 26 of the 34 toothpaste samples tested.

In the petition, he attached a report published in The Daily Star yesterday under the headline, "Three out of 4 toothpastes have microplastics: Finds study by ESDO; brands claim they maintain regulatory standards."

The report stated, "Microplastics were detected in 26 of 34 toothpaste samples tested in Bangladesh, according to a new study, raising serious concerns about potential risks to human health and the environment."

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Writ filed following reports on microplastics in 26 toothpaste samples

It further said, "Conducted by the Environment and Social Development Organisation (ESDO), the study analysed 34 toothpaste samples representing 19 major brands manufactured in Bangladesh, India, Thailand and Vietnam. The concentration of microplastics ranged from 20 to 320 particles per 100 grammes of toothpaste, according to the study titled 'Microplastics in Toothpaste: Scientific Evidence for Policy and Regulatory Action in Bangladesh'."

The respondents named in the writ petition include the secretaries of the ministries of health, environment and commerce, as well as the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) and the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection.

Advocate Mamun himself moved the petition during today's hearing.