Plastic threatens human health on a global scale: REPORT

 

Report: Plastic threatens human health on a global scale

A new report reveals that plastic is a human health crisis that hides without sight. Plastics and Health: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet, authored by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Earthworks, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF), IPEN, Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (tejas ), University of Exeter and UPSTREAM, brings together research exposing the various toxic risks that plastic poses to human health at every stage of the plastic life cycle, from fossil fuel extraction, to consumer use, to disposal and beyond.

 

So far, research into human health effects of plastic has narrowly focused on specific moments in the plastic life cycle, often on individual products, processes or exposure pathways. This approach is not able to recognize that significant, complex and cutting human health impacts occur at every stage of the plastic life cycle: from wellheads to refineries, from store shelves to human bodies and from waste management to the ongoing impact of microplastics in air, water and soil . Plastic & Health presents the full panorama of human health effects of plastic and advises that any solution to the plastic crisis should address the full life cycle.

According to the report, uncertainty and knowledge gaps often hamper regulation and the ability of consumers, communities and decision-makers to make informed decisions. However, the full range of health impacts throughout the plastic life cycle is overwhelming and justifies a precautionary strategy.

KEY FINDINGS

Plastic requires a life cycle approach. The narrow approaches to assessing and managing plastic impacts to date are inadequate and inappropriate. Making informed decisions that address plastic risks requires a full life-cycle approach to understanding the full extent of its toxic impact on human health. Likewise, reducing toxic exposure to plastics will require a number of solutions and options because plastics have a complex life cycle with a diverse universe of actors.

 

At each stage of its life cycle, plastics pose different risks to human health due to both exposure to plastic particles themselves and associated chemicals. People all over the world are exposed to several stages of this life cycle.

 

Extraction and transport of fossil raw materials for plastics, which release a number of toxic substances into the air and water, including those with known health effects such as cancer, neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity and developmental toxicity, and impaired immune function

 

Refining and production of plastic resins and additives that release carcinogens and other highly toxic substances into the air with effects including impaired nervous system, reproductive and developmental problems, cancer, leukemia and genetic effects such as low birth weight;

 

Consumer products and packaging which may lead to the ingestion and / or inhalation of microplastic particles and hundreds of toxic substances;

 

Handling plastic waste, especially "waste-to-energy" and other forms of incineration, releases toxic substances, including heavy metals such as lead and mercury, acid gases and particles that can enter air, water and soil, causing both direct and indirect health risks to workers and nearby communities

 

Fragmentation and microplastics that enter directly into the human body and lead to a range of health impacts (including inflammation, genotoxicity, oxidative stress, apoptosis and necrosis) associated with negative health outcomes ranging from cardiovascular disease to cancer and autoimmune conditions;

 

Cascading exposure as plastics degrades, which further leaches out toxic chemicals concentrated in plastics into the environment and human bodies; and

 

Continuous environmental exposure such as plastic pollutes and accumulates in food chains through agricultural land, soil and water food chains and the water supply, creating new opportunities for human exposure.

 

FROM THE AUTHORS

David Azoulay, Director of Environmental Health, CIEL:

“Both the supply chains and the effects of plastic cross and cross borders, continents and seas. No country can effectively protect its citizens from these influences alone, and there is no global instrument today to fully tackle the toxic life cycle of plastics. Countries must take the opportunity of current global discussions to develop a holistic response to the plastic health crisis involving the reduction of production, use and disposal of plastics worldwide. There is no silver lining to solve this health crisis, but all solutions must ultimately reduce the production and use of plastics if they are to seriously protect human health. ”

 

Priscilla Villa, Earthworks:

“Plastic poisons people before they are ever used because they are produced in polluting petrochemical plants. And these plastic materials are made from fracking by-products. This is a problem because oil and gas extraction and transportation release carcinogens like benzene. Any solution to our plastic problem must prioritize people's health over Big Oil's profits. ”

 

Doun Moon, Research Associate, GAIA:

“Plastic waste not only pollutes our garden. Burning plastic in incinerators transforms one form of pollution into another, whether it is air emissions, toxic ash or wastewater. People who live near incinerators are primarily low-income communities and colored and bear the burden of this toxic pollution. We cannot burn away our plastic problem and let certain societies suffer the consequences. We desperately need to close the plastic tap and build a fairer and fairer society in the process. ”

 

Dr. Mariann Lloyd-Smith, Senior Policy Advisor, IPEN:

“The two crises of pollution with chemicals and plastics are bringing down our garden and its inhabitants. Plastics are not just ugly waste, they are made with many toxic ingredients and collect many more persistent toxins over their incredibly long lifespan. Microplastics provide dangerous chemicals with a path into the marine food chain that humans depend on. We cannot dump, burn or recycle our way out of this problem; it is time for industry and governments to shut down this toxic pressure and for all of us to make profound changes in the way we live. ”

 

Lauren Moore, UPSTREAM:

"What is toxic to the planet is just as toxic to human health. Why risk exposing our bodies to the thousands of chemicals found in plastic packaging when we have recyclable options that do not pollute our health or the environment? When it comes to the safety of our families and our planet, recycling wins every time. ”

 

Von Hernandez, Global Coordinator, Break Free From Plastic Movement (BFFP):

“The heavy toxic burdens associated with plastics - at every stage of its life cycle - provide another compelling argument that it is the only way forward to reduce and not increase plastic production. It is shocking how the current regulatory system continues to provide the entire plastics industry complex, the license to play Russian roulette with our lives and our health. Plastic is deadly, and this report shows us why. ”

 

WHICH EXPERTS SAY ABOUT PLASTIC & HEALTH

Ruthann Rudel, Director of Research, Silent Spring Institute: “Plastics are made from a complex blend of chemicals, many of which are endocrine disruptors or cause other health effects. A recent National Academy of Sciences report found that the essential vinyl ingredient DEHP is "a presumed hazard to human reproduction" at current exposures, and it is only a plastic ingredient! Plastic also contains many toxic additives, such as flame retardants, metals, antimicrobials, non-stick coatings and more. The fantasy that plastic is a cheap material is just that - a fantasy that does not recognize the enormous costs we all pay. ”

 

Erica Jackson, Community Outreach & Communications Specialist, FracTracker Alliance: “The pervasive ability of plastics is a problem that spans time and time again - it's all around us and it lasts for centuries. Therefore, the importance of this assessment of the cumulative health impact of plastics cannot be underestimated. We know enough to justify immediate action to reduce our reliance on plastics, and it starts with keeping plastic raw materials - oil and gas - in the ground. ”

 

Graham Forbes, Greenpeace Global Plastics Project Leader: “The health risk of the plastic pollution crisis has been ignored for far too long and should be at the forefront of all decisions about future plastics. Businesses and governments risk our health to maintain the status quo and keep profits afloat. It is not only our garden and sea animals that suffer from this dependence on plastic, it is all of us. While there is still much to learn about all the impacts of plastics on human health, we know enough to adopt a precautionary principle and start phasing out these malleable patches for good. ”

 

Mike Schade, Mind the Store Campaign Director, Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families: “The plastics industry pollutes the planet with toxic chemicals such as phthalates and halogenated flame retardants, which are often found in products such as food packaging and electronics. Even babies are born pre-contaminated with these unnecessarily dangerous chemicals. At a time when we are learning more about the dangers of chemicals like these in plastics, the US federal government is returning critical environmental and public health protections. Large retailers need to step up to drive toxic chemicals out of plastic and act quickly to phase out the worst plastic that worries, like PVC, the toxic plastic. ”

 

Julie Teel Simmonds, Senior Advocate, Center for Biological Diversity: “It is alarming that the fossil fuel industry is planning to increase plastic production by 40 percent over the next decade. Making plastic pollutes society, and plastic garbage fills our garden. It is clear that reducing plastic pollution and protecting public health cannot be achieved without slowing down plastic production. ”

 

Stiv Wilson, Campaign Director, Story of Stuff Project: “For years, the petrochemical industry has ignored the upstream impacts of human health in the extraction and refining process. Instead, they have chosen to frame the issue of human health narrowly after plastic comes to the sea, where science is a bit of a smoking gun. Finally, we have a baseline for understanding the entire pollution matrix that surrounds this ubiquitous material called plastic. ”

 

Jacqueline Savitz, Chief Policy Officer for North America, Oceana: “Plastics have now permeated our air, our soil, our water and our bodies, and the consequences cannot be ignored. Companies cannot continue to hide behind waste management solutions such as recycling when none of it will be enough unless they also dramatically reduce plastic consumption by using disposable plastic alternatives. ”

 

Sandra Curtis, Coalition on Plastic Pollution: “The health consequences of the endocrine disrupting chemicals in plastics are not known to the public, but are nevertheless contributing to a global health crisis. More than 80% of the exposure to these harmful chemicals comes through cooking and storage. CIEL's groundbreaking report puts the issue directly into the public eye throughout the life cycle of plastic materials on which we have become so dependent. Systemic change is needed to stem the global rise in non-communicable diseases correlated with the same chemicals. Like the extraction of fossil fuels from which disposable plastics are made, this report will help educate the public and encourage all of us to extract ourselves from our addiction to disposable plastics. ”