Dhaka, March 28 -- Air pollution, unsafe water, poor sanitation and hygiene, and lead exposure cause over 272,000 annual premature deaths in Bangladesh, a World Bank report has revealed.

The Bangladesh Country Environmental Analysis (CEA), released at a Dhaka hotel on Thursday, also finds that these environmental issues cause 5.2 billion days of illness annually and cost the equivalent of 17.6 percent of the country's GDP in 2019.

Household and outdoor air pollution have the most detrimental effect on health, leading to nearly 55 percent of premature deaths, which alone cost 8.32 percent of GDP in 2019, the report said.

Environmental pollution is taking a heavy toll on children. Lead poisoning is causing irreversible damage to children...