**Environmental campaigners in Bangladesh have condemned a decision by the government to ease restrictions on ship-breaking in the country.**Ship-owners now no longer need to prove their vessels are free of toxic substances.
Ship-breakers says the move will benefit the Bangladeshi economy.
But environmentalists warned that tens of thousands of shipyard workers and people living on the coast were now at risk of exposure to toxic substances.
Bangladesh, which routinely dismantles vessels other countries refuse to take, changed the ship-breaking industry’s rules in January.
The law required selling nations to certify that the vessels were free of toxic substances.
But the government amended the legislation on Sunday, removing the need for documentation.
Ship-breaking is a major business in Asia - it supplies scrap steel to local industries.
Nearly 1,000 ships are broken down each year, mostly in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, according to estimates.This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.