ISLAMABAD, May 21: The National Forum for Environment and Health (NEFH) on Tuesday called upon the government to immediately ban the use of woven polypropylene (WPP) bags for packing of food items.

“The WPP bags can cause fatal diseases like cancer and being a non-biodegradable substance, these are considered dangerous to health and environment,” the NEFH said.

The forum also asked the government to encourage the use of environment-friendly bags.

It also quoted a report to establish that the usage of the bags had increased from eight million in 1994-95 to 11 million in 2001. “By the end of the current year, the figure is likely to reach 16 million,” it added.

A spokesman for the forum said this was high time to take measures to check this rising trend, as the ongoing procurement of wheat in the country, especially in the Punjab, could attract use of these bags and cause many diseases.