Daily essentials sold in Bangladeshi markets contain hidden toxic contaminants, including heavy metals in vegetables, faecal pathogens in water and toxins in baby food that exceed legal limits, tests by the country’s food safety agency have revealed.
The findings, published in the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority’s (BFSA) report for the 2024–25 fiscal year, expose a pervasive contamination crisis. Public health experts warn that prolonged exposure to such adulteration risks driving a long-term surge in cancer, kidney and liver diseases, cardiac conditions, thyroid disorders, childhood developmental delays, and water-borne illnesses.
Water samples returned the most critical results. Under the Microbiological Contamination Control Regulations 2021, drinking water must contain zero faecal or total coliform. However, BFSA tests detected high bacterial counts across several districts, recording faecal coliform levels of 60 colony-forming units (CFU) per 100 ml in Khagrachhari, 43 CFU in Bagerhat, and 120 CFU in Dinajpur.
Public health specialists note that faecal coliform indicates direct sewage pollution. Regular consumption of contaminated water increases the incidence of diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid and hepatitis, posing the gravest threat to children, the elderly and the immunocompromised.
Vegetables, traditionally considered dietary staples, also failed to meet safety standards. Lead concentrations in samples collected from various Dhaka neighbourhoods ranged from 1.16 to 2.37 parts per million (ppm), significantly exceeding the statutory limit of 0.3 ppm. The agency also detected cadmium at 0.33 ppm, alongside E coli, faecal coliform and Salmonella in samples taken from its central office.
These heavy metals accumulate in human tissue over time, causing irreversible damage to the kidneys, liver and nervous system while elevating the risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease and various cancers.
Baby food proved equally hazardous. Tests revealed lead levels between 0.05 and 0.07 ppm, multiples of the 0.02 ppm safety ceiling. Doctors warn that because developing brains and bodies are highly sensitive, even trace exposure to lead can impair neurological development, causing learning deficits, behavioural disorders, lower intelligence and permanent nerve damage.
Dr Nishat Sharmin Nishi, head of nutrition and dietetics at Popular Medical College Hospital, told Bonik Barta that chemical adulteration is escalating into a public health emergency.
“Any toxic chemical or adulterant in food severely damages the heart, liver and kidneys,” Dr Nishi said. “Long-term consumption of contaminated food also increases the risk of bone disorders, cholesterol imbalance and related eye damage.”
She added: “The presence of lead and other toxic substances in food is particularly harmful to children, as it can hinder cognitive development and increase behavioural problems such as hyperactivity. In adults, exposure is associated with reduced fertility, high blood pressure, chronic inflammation and the accumulation of toxic substances in the body.”
The BFSA also identified widespread violations in other household staples. Cooking oil contained excessive trans fats, puffed rice was treated with urea and jaggery was adulterated with banned industrial chemicals, whilst biscuits and street food contained prohibited colourants and preservatives.
Specifically, jaggery from Rajshahi and Gazipur contained banned sodium hydrosulphite, a bleaching agent. Puffed rice sourced from nine districts, including Rangpur and Barisal, tested positive for urea, and biscuits from Cumilla, Manikganj, Tangail and Habiganj contained illegal chemicals.
Tests also revealed that chanachur, a spicy snack, carried excessive salt and, in one instance, carcinogenic aflatoxins. Edible salt failed to meet iodine specifications, and turmeric and chilli powders contained excessive ash. Mustard oil showed a high acid value, soybean oil lacked mandatory vitamin A fortification, and trans fat levels breached legal limits across several samples.
Further analysis showed honey from Khulna contained excessive sucrose, with high fructose-glucose ratios detected in multiple districts. Ghee from Rajbari and Chattogram contained virtually no milk fat, while milk powder from Barisal was contaminated with lead. Soft drinks and artificially flavoured beverages carried excessive benzoic acid, tartrazine and caffeine. Jilapi, a popular sweet, from Cox’s Bazar was laced with sodium hydrosulphite, and pickles from several districts contained preservative levels many times the legal limit. Even animal feed from Satkhira and Tangail exceeded the national threshold for chromium.
Md Shafiqul Islam, chairman of the BFSA, said the authority routinely samples and tests food through its head office, eight divisional offices and 72 district branches, alongside deploying mobile courts. Joint enforcement operations with the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution and the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection have been intensified, backed by additional magistrates and stricter surveillance.
“No single agency can secure the food supply chain in isolation,” the BFSA chairman told Bonik Barta. “It requires coordinated action from all regulatory bodies and consumers alike.”
The most alarming finding is that the same irregularities were detected not in a few isolated areas but in samples collected from multiple districts, suggesting these are not isolated incidents but rather systemic failures in production, processing, storage and market regulation.
Dr Mushtuq Husain, former chief scientific officer at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, warned that unchecked contamination would turn Bangladesh into “a sick nation,” escalating the burden of oncology, nephrology, hepatology and respiratory cases.
“Mobile courts and punitive fines are insufficient,” Dr Husain told Bonik Barta. “We require continuous monitoring from the manufacturing stage, enhanced laboratory capacity, and a synchronised response spanning agriculture, health, environmental and municipal authorities to guarantee food safety.”