Hattar children face severe lead risk
A silent but serious threat to the health of children living around the Hattar Industrial Estate, one of the country's major industrial hubs, has come to light.
A joint study conducted by Pakistan's Ministry of National Health Services and UNICEF has revealed that 88 per cent of children in the area have blood lead levels exceeding internationally recognised safe limits, posing severe risks to their physical and mental development.
According to the report, blood samples of children aged between 12 and 36 months were analysed in various industrial and pollution-affected areas across Pakistan.
The findings identified Hattar Industrial Estate as the most affected area, with significantly higher lead levels in children's blood than in all other surveyed locations.
Health experts say lead is a highly toxic metal that causes long-term adverse effects on the brains, nervous systems and physical development of young children.
Elevated blood lead levels can impair learning abilities, weaken memory, alter behaviour and lead to physical weakness and several other health complications. According to the World Health Organisation, no level of lead exposure in children is considered completely safe.
The study found elevated lead levels in nearly 40pc of children across seven Pakistani cities and industrial centres included in the survey. However, the situation in Hattar was described as the most alarming. Experts identified industrial emissions, battery recycling units, factory smoke, contaminated soil, lead-based paints and certain household products as possible sources of contamination.
Environmental experts said Hattar Industrial Estate is among the country's major industrial zones, but inadequate monitoring of the environmental and health impacts of industrial activities has exposed local communities, particularly children, to serious risks.
They warned that without timely and effective intervention, the issue could develop into a major public health crisis.
Public health experts urged the government to immediately provide medical screening, blood testing and treatment facilities for children in affected areas.
They also called for regular monitoring of air, soil and water pollution and strict enforcement of industrial emission regulations.
Meanwhile, local social groups and residents expressed deep concern over the report and demanded public awareness campaigns and urgent practical measures to protect children from the harmful effects of toxic metals.
Experts said the findings serve as a warning not only for Hattar but also for other industrial regions of the country, stressing that human health and environmental protection must receive equal importance alongside industrial development so that future generations do not pay the price of progress with their health.