A report on the impact of plastics on human health, authored by 27 professors from Boston University (US), the University of Western Australia (Australia), and the University of Gothenburg (Sweden), was published in The Lancet medical journal ahead of the sixth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC 5.2) in Geneva, Switzerland.

INC 5.2, which brought together over 1,000 representatives from various countries from August 5th to 14th, aimed to progress towards a global treaty to reduce plastic pollution.

Professor Philip Landrigan, a physician at Boston University and the lead author of the report, stated that the health impacts of plastics are significantly underestimated compared to issues like climate change or air pollution.

Children walk on a plastic-filled dumpsite in Rodriguez, Rizal province, Philippines, 28/11/2024. _Photo: Reuters_

Based on 2015 epidemiological data, the authors reported that plastic causes illness and death from infancy to old age, resulting in an annual economic burden related to health exceeding $1.5 trillion.

This figure is based on the healthcare costs and productivity losses due to illnesses caused by three plastic chemicals: bisphenol A (BPA), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), across 38 countries.

Specifically, Professor Maureen Cropper of the University of Maryland, a co-author of the report, and her colleagues estimated that BPA is linked to 5.4 million cases of coronary heart disease and 346,000 strokes. This led to 237,000 and 194,000 deaths from heart disease and stroke, respectively.

Meanwhile, DEHP is linked to 164,000 deaths in people aged 55–64. Prenatal exposure to PBDEs also resulted in a loss of 11.7 million IQ points in children born in 2015.

The report concludes that toxic chemicals from plastic reduce female fertility, affect birth cycles, and impair cognitive function in newborns. These chemicals also cause insulin resistance, high blood pressure, childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cancer in adults.

This conclusion is based on epidemiological data for only three plastic chemicals. In reality, plastic products contain over 16,000 chemicals, ranging from monomers and catalysts to processing aids and additives (plasticizers, flame retardants, fillers, dyes, and stabilizers). The authors note that data on the hazards of over two-thirds of these chemicals have not been published.

Of the plastic chemicals with available data, approximately 75% (over 4,200 substances) are considered "extremely hazardous" due to their toxicity, persistence, bioaccumulation, and mobility. Nearly 1,500 of these chemicals are carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic to reproduction.

Most plastic chemicals, including additives, are not chemically bonded to the polymer base. Instead, they are physically mixed, allowing them to be released into the environment through leaching, evaporation, and abrasion. These chemicals then enter the human body through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal absorption.

Humans are exposed to plastic chemicals during production, consumption, and disposal. Food contact materials like containers, plastic bags, bottles, and food processing equipment pose a risk of releasing chemicals into food and beverages. Nearly 1,500 plastic chemicals are released into food. The release rate depends on temperature, contact time, fat content, and acidity of the food or beverage.

Last year, faculty from New York University and physicians from a Philadelphia hospital published a study on these three groups of chemicals, estimating the cost of plastic chemical-related illnesses to be equivalent to 1.22% of US GDP in 2018. Healthcare costs due to exposure to "forever chemicals" (PFAS) alone reached $22 billion.

In the past, many health hazards, such as mercury and lead, have been controlled. Meanwhile, plastic chemicals pose a high risk to human health due to their high production volume, widespread use, and potential for human exposure.

Comparing plastic pollution to lead, the report suggests that national laws and policies can help mitigate this situation. The expert group urged delegates from nearly 180 countries attending the Geneva negotiations to reach an agreement after previous failures.

Plastic production, derived from petroleum, has increased dramatically from two million tons in 1950 to 475 million tons in 2022. This figure is projected to triple by 2060. However, less than 10% of total plastic is recycled, posing a major threat to human health, environmental pollution, and climate change.

The negotiations for a global plastics treaty, initiated by the United Nations in 2022, are in the final round after five previous unsuccessful rounds. The biggest obstacle is the reluctance of oil-producing countries to reduce plastic production, as the industry is projected to be the main source of oil demand in the future as transportation shifts to electricity.

Bao Bao (_via CBS, The Lancet_)