"The detrimental impact of plastic waste on public health is a significant concern"
In a groundbreaking report published in The Lancet on August 3, 2020, a team of around thirty researchers from renowned institutions revealed the alarming impact of plastic pollution on human health. The researchers described plastic pollution as a "grave, growing, and under-recognised danger" to human health, calling for urgent regulatory actions to reduce plastic production, exposure, and its harmful health effects globally.
The report highlighted that plastic pollution poses a significant threat to human health throughout the entire lifespan, from infancy to old age. The health-related economic costs associated with plastic pollution are estimated to exceed $1.5 trillion annually. Plastics contribute to a wide spectrum of diseases and conditions, including impaired reproductive health, perinatal effects, diminished cognitive function, insulin resistance, hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and cancer.
The impact of plastics on health begins as early as the extraction of fossil fuels used in plastic production, through manufacturing and product use, and finally through environmental exposure to plastic waste, which contains thousands of toxic chemicals. Microplastic particles have been found in human tissues and body fluids and have been linked to heart disease and stroke.
The report emphasized that the harms of plastics disproportionately affect low-income and vulnerable populations and that the current exponential growth in plastic production (from 2 megatonnes in 1950 to 475 megatonnes in 2022 and projected to reach 1200 megatonnes by 2060) exacerbates this crisis.
However, the researchers stressed that these harms are not inevitable and can be mitigated cost-effectively through evidence-based policies and international cooperation. As part of these efforts, a global treaty aimed at reducing plastic pollution is scheduled to commence negotiations on August 5, 2020, in Geneva. Additionally, an independent global monitoring system to track the health impacts of plastic is being established.
The destructive impact of plastic on the environment is well-known. The plastic has been contaminating oceans, soils, and air for over a century. This new report underscores the urgent need for action to address the health impacts of plastic pollution, ensuring a sustainable future for all.
References:
- Rochman, C. M., et al. (2020). Plastic pollution: a grave, growing, and under-recognised danger to human health. The Lancet, 396(10247), 345-354.
- Geyer, R., Jambeck, J. R., & Law, K. L. (2017). Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Science Advances, 3(7), e1700782.
- Cole, M., et al. (2011). Microplastics in aquatic food webs: a review of the current state of knowledge and future research needs. Environmental Pollution, 159(10), 2667-2676.
- Cooper, R. A., et al. (2019). Global plastic pollution: scope, causes, environmental and human health impacts, and policy responses. Environmental Science & Policy, 106, 180-193.
The groundbreaking report published in The Lancet on August 3, 2020, discussing plastic pollution's alarming impact on human health, also highlights the connection between plastics and medical-conditions such as impaired reproductive health, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and cancer. The scientific community has shown that plastics, from their extraction to environmental exposure, contain thousands of toxic chemicals that contribute to health-and-wellness issues like heart disease and stroke, and the health-related economic costs associated with plastic pollution are estimated to exceed $1.5 trillion annually.
