High Court orders probe panel to investigate microplastics in toothpaste

It also issues rule asking why the products will not be removed from the market

The High Court has ordered the formation of a three-member expert committee to investigate reports that 26 brands of toothpaste sold in the country contain what have been described as harmful microplastics.

The order came after a preliminary hearing on a public interest petition by a bench comprising Justice Khizir Ahmed Choudhury and Justice Md Ziaul Haque on Tuesday.

The court directed the secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) to form the committee and submit its investigation report within 15 days.

The committee has been instructed to include one expert each from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research's Science Laboratory, and BSTI.

The High Court also issued a rule asking why authorities should not be directed to halt the import, production and distribution of toothpaste containing microplastics.

Also, the court asked why toothpaste products found to contain microplastics, or those identified as containing them in future, should not be withdrawn from the market.

The public interest petition was filed by Supreme Court lawyer Abdullah Al Mamun, who moved the petition by himself.

[Update to follow]