legacy contamination in leather tannery communities

Hazaribagh & Kamrangirchar, Bangladesh

assessing environmental contamination and occupational hazards

In 2014, at the invitation of Doctors Without Borders, TIFO completed a pilot assessment of two settlements of Dhaka: leather tanneries in Hazaribagh and small-scale factories in Kamrangirchar. TIFO identified severe environmental contamination and occupational hazards in both communities and outlined initial interventions for reducing related morbidities and risks.

TIFO's work included:

A comprehensive literature review

Data gaps and critical pathways analysis

Identify contaminants of concern and critical data needs

Propose a strategy for acquiring the missing information

Site visits to evaluate occupational and environmental conditions

Identify experts to support the development of an occupational health and safety program

TIFO's Findings

Overlapping Exposures in Hazaribagh

There is little difference between many of the occupational exposures experienced by tannery workers and residential exposures experienced by families living in Hazaribagh.

No Escape from Exposure

The sub-standard housing, lack of sanitation infrastructure, and lack of separation between work and home result in intense exposures with no reprieve.

Children Most at Risk

The conceptual site model identified the child workers and child residents as the most vulnerable populations in Hazaribagh.

Hazaribagh Outcomes

Our assessment included a detailed conceptual site model that highlighted the most vulnerable groups in Hazaribagh. We presented the site model findings to MSF to inform their health interventions. MSF also shared findings with regional advocacy organizations to promote broader awareness and action.

Since TIFO’s investigation in 2014, the Government of Bangladesh has constructed a central treatment facility in Savar and, in 2017, relocated most of the tanneries there. While this relocation marks a significant shift, the treatment operations at the new site are not yet fully active. As a result, widespread contamination has already occurred in Savar, and the legacy pollution in Hazaribagh continues to pose serious health risks for residents.

Kamrangirchar Outcomes

After conducting a site assessment and sharing key findings with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), TIFO helped connect MSF with occupational health and safety experts to support the development of a comprehensive occupational health program focused on both treatment and prevention.

MSF activities included:

Medical care for workers suffering from job-related illnesses
Preventive services such as tetanus vaccinations
Factory-level hazard assessments and prevention of workplace hazards
Outreach efforts to educate workers and engage factory owners in creating safer workplace environments

In 2020, MSF teams conducted nearly 5,000 occupational health consultations in Kamrangirchar.

Background

Hazaribagh

Hazaribagh district is in Dhaka, Bangladesh, one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Situated on the Buriganga River, the area is renowned for its numerous leather processing facilities. In addition to housing more than 90% of Bangladesh’s tanneries, Hazaribagh is home to 185,000 people, 8–12 thousand of whom work in the tanneries themselves. Human Rights Watch estimated that there were 150 tanneries in Hazaribagh, a four-square-kilometer area. Reports indicate that authorities relocated the tanneries, but community members remain at risk of severe long-term health impacts from serious occupational and environmental hazards. Water, soil, and air are all polluted by tannery operations, which operate without effective pollution control mechanisms to protect workers and the surrounding residents. High-income countries import roughly 80% of Bangladesh’s leather production. Multiple environmental and human rights groups have raised concerns about the severe environmental conditions surrounding tanning industries in Dhaka for over a decade.

Kamrangirchar

Kamrangirchar district is adjacent to Hazaribagh and is home to hundreds of informal recycling and factory operations. Factories recycle plastics to make inexpensive children’s toys, sandals, balloons, and household items. They melt down scrap metal to produce kitchen pots and utensils. There are also small textile and foundry operations. Similar to Hazaribagh, hazardous environmental conditions expose thousands of workers and their families living in Kamrangirchar.