Dhaka, Nov. 16 -- Nearly 4 out of 10 children in Bangladesh have "worrying" levels of lead in their blood, according to a new study by UNICEF and the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

It said, "Thirty-eight percent of children aged 12 to 59 months (i.e. nearly four children in every 10) and nearly 8 percent of pregnant women have blood lead levels 'above the safe limit'."

Dhaka residents were the worst affected, with 65 percent registering levels above the safe limit.

UNICEF says lead pollution poses a threat to children's brain development and impacts all socio-economic classes.

More than half of the affected children are from higher-income families, while 30 percent are from lower-income families, the survey report says.

The B...