The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) has asked the public not to be alarmed by the finding of microplastics in most of the country’s toothpastes. The organisation said it would not be correct to declare any brand or toothpaste unsafe or substandard without full scientific and legal verification.
BSTI said it has taken the initiative to collect samples from the market and from factories on its own and have them retested at recognised domestic or foreign laboratories. If testing proves that a product has failed to meet the Bangladesh standard, or that unapproved ingredients have been used, legal action will be taken against the company concerned.
BSTI set out the position in a press release on Tuesday afternoon. It said public alarm had been created by a study carried out recently by a private research organisation, the Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO), which found microplastics in 26 of 34 toothpaste samples.
BSTI said the matter is being treated seriously because it concerns public health and the environment. Microplastics are tiny plastic particles 5 millimetres or smaller in size, which are usually not visible to the naked eye, the organisation said. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), microplastics are an emerging environmental and health concern. Research into their health risks is still under way, and BSTI said it believes further WHO research on the health risks of microplastics is needed.
Steps taken in other countries
The release said the United States was the first to ban the deliberate use of microplastics in rinse-off cosmetic products including toothpaste, under the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015. European law has given manufacturers until October 2027 to stop using microplastics. The use of deliberately added plastic microbeads in toothpaste is currently banned in many countries.
BSTI said the standards of countries such as India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and the standards drawn up by various international standards bodies, mention no limit for microplastics in toothpaste products and no ban on their use. Internationally, no specific acceptable limit or single test method has yet been laid down for microplastics unintentionally present in toothpaste.
BSTI said Bangladesh has a set standard for toothpaste products. Although it contains no direct restriction on the use of microplastics, the standard gives a list of 81 ingredients that may be used in manufacturing toothpaste, and microplastics are not among them. The quality control arrangements of toothpaste manufacturers are examined before BSTI issues a certificate. There is therefore no scope for the deliberate use of microplastics in the manufacture of toothpaste.
The organisation added that it is not scientifically correct to conclude, merely because plastic particles have been found in a test, that the manufacturer used them deliberately or that they are harmful to human health. More detailed testing and an assessment of the type, source and quantity of the particles and of the health risk are needed.
BSTI has already asked the research organisation concerned for the full data of the study, its test methods, its primary test data and other necessary information. Information on raw materials, product ingredients and the use of synthetic polymers is also being collected from the manufacturers and importers concerned.
The press release said BSTI has already taken the initiative to review the Bangladesh standard for toothpaste with specialists, research organisations, the Department of Environment, the Directorate General of Drug Administration, dentists, industry and consumer representatives. If the necessary scientific evidence is found, the Bangladesh standard will be updated, including controls on the deliberate use of plastic microbeads in toothpaste, a requirement to disclose ingredients, and the addition of test methods.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report