Thousands of children in this mega city of Dhaka are inhaling poisonous air which seriously retards their physical growth, tells on their intelligence and exposes them to other problems at later stages of life. This startling finding was released to the press by Dr Naila Khan, a child neurologist at a press conference Wednesday. The hazards of lead poisoning in the air have been known to many for quite some time now but in a very sketchy way. The findings from the blood samples - eight-times the WHO limit - of a few children have hit the nail in the head. The enormity of the problem and the intensity of the fallout of lead poisoning calls for immediate steps to be taken at the highest level of administration to save the future generations from mental and physical retardation.

In spite of repeated warnings by the newspapers about the dangers of lead poisoning and definite knowledge of the government about its future effects on the people, particularly the children, we have not seen any positive action so far from any quarters, particularly the Environment Ministry, to contain and then eradicate the sources of pollution. We are perplexe at the inaction of the government.

To start with, the government will do well by converting the government vehicles from the conventional fuel to LPG which is being done in Dhaka. To handle this job efficiently half-a-dozen more conversion units may be installed besides the existing one and money misused in the name of maintenance of vehicles at government transport pools should be fruitfully utilised for conversion. With proper awareness of public and private vehicle owners, automobiles that emit smoke beyond the permissible limit should be gradually withdrawn from roads and punitive measures like fines etc., may be introduced in the initial stages. Import of leaded fuel should be banned immediately and the Eastern Refinery should be balanced and mordernised to produce and refine unleaded fuel which is the most vital factor for avoiding lead poisoning.

Another vexing problem will be to withdraw gradually the real menace to public health - the two-stroke three-wheelers trotting all over the country spitting venom. There are more than 40,000 of them in Dhaka city alone. Efforts have to be made by the ministry concerned to convert these machines into battery-operated ones as done in Kathamandu. If they can operate without gasoline in the hilly town they can easily run on the plains of our country. When the biggest manufacturers and exporters of this 'mobile deaths' will not use them in their own country then why should we buy them for our peril? These killing machines should be banned forthwith in the greater interest of the nation.

We very much hope and expect the government to launch a quick action-oriented response to stop the spread of the deadly poison. Otherwise we will be constrained to believe that the government does not care for the future - the children, our most precious possession - of this nation.