Photo: Collected

SANGSAD BHABAN, Sept 2, 2026 (BSS) - Commerce, Industry, Textiles and Jute Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir today said the government has formed an expert technical committee to examine the presence of microplastic and other harmful chemicals in daily-use products, including toothpaste.

The minister said this while replying to an emergency notice under Rule 71 of the Rules of Procedure raised by Selina Sultana, MP from women's reserved seat-35, at the Jatiya Sangsad with Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal in the chair.

He said the high-level committee comprises university teachers, scientists, dental experts, physicians and representatives of the Directorate of National Consumers' Right Protection.

The committee has already held several meetings and collected samples directly from markets and factories, which have been sent to the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) for examination, he said.

Muktadir said the committee would verify whether microplastic and other harmful chemical agents are present in the products and recommend measures to set appropriate standards.

He said the government is giving special importance to a recent claim by a non-government research organisation about the presence of toxic microplastic in toothpaste. However, he noted that the research did not provide sufficient details about the source of the microplastic or ways to control it.

To prevent public confusion over incomplete research findings, the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) is closely monitoring the issue, he said.

The minister said microplastic is a relatively new environmental and health concern and is not covered by the existing national standards set by the BSTI. As a result, the BSTI currently lacks the necessary equipment and laboratory facilities to detect microplastic.

He said procurement of the necessary equipment is now underway to identify synthetic solid particulate matter, while work is also progressing to formulate national standards in this regard.

To prevent harmful microplastic from being used in daily-use products, including toothpaste, the government has decided to restrict the addition of harmful polymeric materials, make ingredient declarations mandatory and incorporate a standard evaluation system into the national standards based on expert recommendations, Muktadir said.

Reiterating the government's commitment to protecting public health, the minister said strict legal action would be taken against manufacturers and importers if any violation or unauthorised ingredient is found in their products under BSTI standards.

He also said 10 food products and eight cosmetics products were recently ordered to be withdrawn from the market for failing to meet BSTI standards. The products included various spices, ghee and butter oil manufactured by different companies.