Dhaka, July 17 -- Environmental activists, students, teachers and community members on Friday called for urgent action against lead pollution in Rangpur, warning that unsafe lead-acid battery recycling and other sources of exposure are putting millions of children at serious health risk.

The call was made from an awareness rally organised by youth-led environmental organisation YouthNet Global with support from Pure Earth, an international organisation working to eliminate toxic pollution, as part of a week-long nationwide campaign being conducted across all eight divisions of Bangladesh under the theme, "Stop Lead Pollution, Ensure Healthy Lives and a Safe Environment."

The rally began from Chandra Mor in Rangpur city in the morning an...