Latest news with #LancetCountdown
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
Microplastics. Not just bottles. Here's what we should fret about
This week, the world is coming together to thrash out an agreement on the UN Global Plastics Treaty. In a world where plastic production is exponential increasing, this is crucial. Plastics and particularly microplastics, into which these useful and adaptable materials break down, are of increasing concern, and contributing to a global plastic pollution crisis. At the heart of the concern are microplastics, small pieces of plastic less than 5 mm in diameter. They vary widely in terms of the chemicals associated with them – making assessing their health impact and risk difficult. Increasingly they are everywhere from the placenta of unborn babies to the Arctic - and it's the plastic waste sources we don't talk about that most worry me. But what is the problem with them? And what do we actually know about their impact on human and planetary health? 1. Research is starting to show microplastic impact on human health It's still early days in research terms. As the European Environment Agency has put it, 'While much data is available on the presence of microplastics in the environment, knowledge on the health impacts of microplastics is currently lacking.' But the evidence is gradually building. A recent US study, for instance, found both microplastics and nanoplastics in higher concentrations in placentas from premature births than in those births that went to full term. Last week The Lancet launched an independent, indicator-based global monitoring system: titled the Lancet Countdown on health and plastics. 'Plastics,' the Lancet report said, 'cause disease and death from infancy to old age and are responsible for health-related economic losses exceeding US$1·5 trillion [£1.1 trillion] annually. These impacts fall disproportionately upon low-income and at-risk populations.' In a series of letters published last week, titled Act Boldly or Fail, scientists called for 'legally binding targets to cap and reduce plastic production and the phase-out of toxic additives and chemicals in plastics'. They reminded negotiators that the costs of inaction are not abstract, but "can be counted in cancers, reproductive harms, and respiratory conditions". Dr Cressida Bowyer, Deputy Director of the Revolution Plastics Institute at the University of Portsmouth, said: 'There is clear and growing evidence that plastic poses serious risks to human health. Yet the approach to health protection in the treaty still hangs in the balance. In order to operationalise the global plastics treaty objective to 'protect human health and the environment from plastic pollution' the treaty must directly address human health impacts in the core obligations of the treaty.' 2. In the UK we use, and produce more plastic per capita than average According to EHA, the global average consumption of short-life plastic per person per year is 20.9 kilograms, but the average plastic consumption per capita in the UK is 31.1 kilograms. Research by The Big Plastic Count has shown that households are throwing away 1.7 billion pieces of plastic a week—amounting to 90 billion pieces a year. 3. Less than 10% of plastic globally is recycled That's the figure calculated by an OECD report published earlier in 2022. And in the UK, that rate is looking like 17%. 4. The problem is still growing exponentially. As the Lancet puts it, production has increased 'from 2 megatonnes (Mt) in 1950, to 475 Mt in 2022 that is projected to be 1200 Mt by 2060.' Alongside that, pollution has risen, with now 8000Mt of plastic waste polluting the planet. 5. Microplastic concentrations are rising in Scotland's seas Marine Scotland data, obtained in a freedom of information request by the Ferret last year, revealed that the highest concentration of microplastics found in Scotland was in a sample taken from the Solway Firth, where surface water was estimated to contain 210,891 microplastics per square kilometre. It was also nearly two and a half times higher than the largest sample taken previously in the firth in 2016. Large concentrations of microplastics in waters were also found south of Tiree (106,453 microplastics per square kilometre), off the East Lothian coast near Dunbar, (81,982 per square kilometre) and in the North Sea oil and gas area of Long Forties (36,304 microplastics in a sample). Winds of Change on microplastics (Image: Derek McArthur) 6. We've banned some single-use plastic products – but still new items keep coming along We can celebrate the successes of banning cotton buds and plastic straws, but these plastic items are just the tip of the plastic-berg, with new single-use products always coming on the market, and eventually, hitting our shorelines and landfills. Just last week an open letter called for the banning of the latest single-use scourge, the disposable dental flosser. 7. Microplastics are entering our soil through sewage sludge One way in which microplastics are entering the environment is via sewage sludge spread on farmland. A study, carried out by the James Hutton Institute and Robert Gordon University, found the prevalence of microplastics in soil was more than 15 times its initial level after four years of sewage sludge application on a farm in North Lanarkshire. The study also found that the number of microplastics in the soil remained relatively unchanged 22 years after application. 8. They are in our food A University of Catania study found them in a wide range of vegetables, including lettuce, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, apples, and pears, with apples and carrots showing the highest levels. They are also in the fish we eat. A US peer-reviewed study detected microplastics in 99%, or 180 out of 182, samples of seafood in Oregon. 9. They are in our brains Research, which looked into postmortem samples from brains spanning a period between 1997 and 2024 found that levels were increasing. 10. Our clothes are a major source We think about plastic bottles, but we don't think enough about the microfibres leaking from our plastic clothes. A University of Leeds report found that UK laundry generates up to 17,847 tonnes of microfibres each year (243g per person), weighing the equivalent of 'around 1,500 double-decker buses'. 11. But so is this rarely talked about microplastic source But, what's not talked about nearly enough – it sometimes feels as if there is an omerta around the subject – is the biggest source of intentionally produced microplastics, the rubber crumb infill found on artificial turf pitches. This crumb in the UK is chiefly produced from end-of-life tyres. Earlier this year, Defra published an evidence project report that stated that artificial sports pitches are the main source of intentionally added microplastic pollution in the UK. According to the Scottish environmental charity, Fidra, 'Each year, thousands of tonnes of microplastics are lost during their use (mainly playing football but also other sports), maintenance, and disposal, ultimately ending up in our drains, soils, rivers, and eventually wildlife. Though the EU had already announced a crumb rubber ban in 3G pitches to come fully into force in 2013, the UK has not yet followed suit. Responding to the DEFRA report, Professor Andrew Watterson of University of Stirling, criticised the delay. 'The Defra report provided all UK governments with a two year delay on taking similar action to the EU if it wished to follow their lead.' 'It now looks as if those governments will send the report out for wider consultation and further delay." Prof Watterson said that report appeared geared 'in many respects to weight economic factors highly and downplays externalised costs to wider 'society', sustainability and the need for an effective circular economy". He believes a phase out of 3G rubber crumb pitches is 'necessary and quite feasible'. 12. Recycling may be exacerbating the microplastic problem Research carried out by Strathclyde University found that the chopping, shredding and washing of plastic in a recycling facility resulted in wastewater. If the results are more widely representative, that would mean that as much as six to 13 percent of incoming waste may be being turned into microplastics.
Mail & Guardian
5 days ago
- Health
- Mail & Guardian
Plastic pollution a global health emergency, says Lancet report
Plastics cause disease and deaths, from infancy to old age and are responsible for health-related economic losses exceeding $1.5 trillion annually. Plastics are a grave, growing and under-recognised danger to human and Plastics cause disease and deaths, from infancy to old age and are responsible for health-related economic losses exceeding $1.5 trillion annually. These effects fall disproportionately on vulnerable populations, particularly babies and children, said the The Lancet on the eve of the expected final round of talks to conclude a The mandate for The report says the Given that less than 10% of plastic is recycled and waste can persist in the environment for decades, an estimated eight billion tonnes of plastic waste, or 80% of all the plastic ever made, now pollutes the planet. 'Yet, continued worsening of plastics' harms is not inevitable. Similar to air pollution and lead, plastics' harms can be mitigated cost-effectively by evidence-based, transparently tracked, effectively implemented and adequately financed laws and policies.' In parallel with the finalisation of the global plastics treaty, the report also announced the launch of an independent, health-focused global monitoring system — the Lancet Countdown on Health and Plastics. This will develop and track indicators across four domains: production and emissions; exposures; health and interventions and engagement. 'We know a great deal about the range and severity of the health and environmental impacts of plastic pollution across the full lifecycle of plastic,' 'These impacts fall most heavily on vulnerable populations, especially Decision-makers will need access to the best available scientific evidence to guide the implementation and development of the important treaty in the months and years to come, said Margaret Spring, one of the report's co-authors and the co-lead of one of the working groups in the new Lancet countdown. 'The countdown reports will offer a robust, independent and accessible data source that can help to inform development of effective policies addressing plastic pollution at the international, regional, national, sub-national and local levels,' Spring said. The report noted how plastic is the 'defining material of our age' with more than 98% of it made from fossil carbon — gas, oil and coal. Plastics are flexible, durable, convenient and 'perceived to be cheap', it said. They are ubiquitous in modern societies and have supported advances in many fields, including medicine, engineering, electronics and aerospace. 'It is increasingly clear, however, that plastics pose grave, growing and underappreciated dangers to human and planetary health. Moreover, plastics are not as inexpensive as they appear and are responsible for massive hidden economic costs borne by governments and societies.' These harms to human and planetary health are worsening, driven mainly by continuing annual increases in the production of new plastics. Early-life exposure to plastics and plastic chemicals is linked to increased risk of miscarriage; prematurity; stillbirth; low birthweight and birth defects of the reproductive organs; neurodevelopmental impairment, impaired lung growth and childhood cancer. 'Early-life exposures to plastic chemicals can contribute to reduced human fertility and increased risks of non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adult life.' Plastic production is highly energy-intensive and releases more than two gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, and other climate-forcing greenhouse gases, into the atmosphere each year, harming health by accelerating climate change. Every year, an estimated 10 to 12 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean. 'Many plastics appear to resist breakdown in the ocean and could persist for decades.' Microplastic and nanoplastic particles, which result from the breakdown of larger plastic materials, are an emerging threat to health. While their effects are still incompletely understood, more studies report the presence of microplastics in multiple human tissues and are 'beginning to link it to disease'. The report said that, in 2015, the health-related costs of plastic production amounted to almost $600 billion globally — more than the GDP of New Zealand or Finland. 'Chemicals in plastics, such as PBDE ( These estimates undercount the full costs of plastic-related health damages because they examine only a few countries and only a subset of plastic chemicals. 'The costs are externalised by fossil fuel and plastic manufacturing industries and borne by governments and taxpayers.' A key driver of the acceleration in plastic output is a pivot by fossil fuel corporations and nations that are the major producers of plastic and petrochemicals, in response to declining demand for fossil energy, the report said. 'For example, the Saudi Arabian Oil Company plans to channel about one third of its oil production to plastics and petrochemicals by 2030 and Shell has recently opened a new cracking plant in western Pennsylvania, USA, that will transform fracked gas from Appalachia into plastic pellets.'
Medscape
09-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
The Healthcare Industry's Climate Time Bomb
All stakeholders in healthcare now aim to make the sector greener, and several ongoing initiatives show that real changes are possible. Recently, the 2024 Global Report from The Lancet Countdown issued an urgent warning that human health is threatened by climate inaction. Experts have cautioned that we have reached a 'point of no return' as global warming systematically undermines public health worldwide. However, what happens when the health system itself is polluted? Data from the Ministry of Health show that the healthcare sector accounts for approximately 4.4% of net global greenhouse gas emissions, roughly 1.6 gigatons of CO 2 . What is being done about this? Sector Emissions According to a new report by Health Care Without Harm, in collaboration with Arup, 'The Health Sector's Climate Footprint: How the Health Sector Contributes to the Global Climate Crisis: Opportunities for Action,' the largest contributors are the United States (546 million metric tons of CO 2 equivalent), China (342 million metric tons of CO 2 equivalent), and the European Union (248 million metric tons of CO 2 equivalent). More than half of this footprint stems from energy consumption, such as electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning systems, combined with operational emissions. Other significant sources included agriculture (9%, including food service in health centres and cotton cultivation for surgical gowns), pharmaceuticals, and chemicals (5%, excluding production energy transport [7%] and waste treatment [3%]). A further 1% of the health sector's global climate footprint, or nearly 4 million metric tons of emissions, is derived from anaesthetic gases (0.6%) and metered-dose inhalers (0.3%). The ECODES report 'Reduction of GHG Emissions in the Healthcare Sector Focus on Scope 3 of the Carbon Footprint' categorises emissions into three types of scopes. According to Health Care Without Harm, Scope 1 covers direct emissions from daily operations, such as burning fossil fuels for heating, cooling, and anaesthetic gases; owned vehicle exhaust; and fugitive emissions from air conditioning and cold storage systems, accounting for approximately 17% of the total. Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from the acquisition and consumption of electrical energy by healthcare facilities, including electricity, steam, refrigeration, and heating, accounting for approximately 12% of the total emissions. Scope 3, the largest category, includes the production, distribution, and disposal of goods and services consumed by the sector, such as medical supplies, medicines, equipment, and associated transport. Waste Management Several initiatives have been launched from international, national, regional, public, and private perspectives. The Global Green and Healthy Hospitals Network (GGHH) includes more than 1900 members in over 80 countries, representing approximately 70,000 hospitals. GGHH supports its members in conducting sustainability projects by providing access to a wide range of exclusive and innovative tools and resources. In May 2025, GGHH published a report on the 'Chemical recycling of plastic waste from the healthcare sector,' evaluating recycling technologies, toxic by-products, carbon footprint, and economic viability to identify the best options for healthcare plastic waste. In Spain, the AIMPLAS Technological Centre in Valencia, Spain, is engaged in circular economy and decarbonisation projects, producing biocompatible, biodegradable, injectable, and resorbable materials such as polylactic acid (PLA) and their copolymer poly(lactide-co-glycolide), poly(ε-caprolactone) — PCL — and PLA-PCL, using various technologies such as synthesis and reactive extrusion. These biopolymers offer sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics and significantly reduce non-biodegradable pollution. In 2025, Granada-based Athisa opened Spain's first sustainable healthcare waste treatment plant in Ciudad Real, Spain. One of its milestones is the management of solid cytostatic waste, which, unlike traditional incineration methods, uses advanced oxidation with an ozone-like oxidant that does not generate hazardous waste. This alternative avoids the emission of greenhouse gases and the generation of hazardous ash, which is typically deposited in specialised landfills, representing a more sustainable option than incineration. Carbon Reduction The Ministry of Health launched the National Information System on the Healthcare Carbon Footprint. This tool collects and provides data on the calculation of atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions from processes that occur in different healthcare centres during a given year. In March 2025, the Ministry resumed carbon footprint workshops on the carbon footprint in healthcare centres as part of the Strategic Health and Environment Plan. From Health #ForTheClimate (ECODES) on this key initiative for decarbonisation of the healthcare sector. In a public-private partnership, the MAPIC+s project (ECODES and GSK) aims to reduce the carbon footprint of the National Health System and drive environmental sustainability. MAPIC+s offers a roadmap for healthcare organisations by integrating sustainability into strategic plans, forming sustainability committees, replacing single-use materials, and reducing fluorinated gases, with case studies from Spain. Eli Lilly and Company and DHL Freight launched a project to reduce CO₂ emissions on international routes. By using biodiesel vehicles and carefully planning routes, they aim to lower emissions from shipments between Eli Lilly and Company's Alcobendas plant in Madrid and destinations in Belgium and the Netherlands. Anaesthetic Emissions The pharmaceutical industry is also working to reduce the environmental impact of anaesthetic gases and metered-dose inhalers. Efforts are underway to accelerate the shift to near-zero carbon propellant inhalers, with the next generation expected to be launched by 2025. However, as Carlos Almonacid, MD, vice president of the Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery, emphasised at a recent press conference, good clinical control offers both environmental and economic benefits. This leads to a reduced use of rescue inhalers, which typically have a higher carbon footprint, thereby supporting healthcare system sustainability. It also conserves healthcare resources and minimises patient travel to medical centres, thereby lowering pollution associated with transportation. These factors, in turn, strengthen the doctor-patient relationship, improve treatment adherence, and build trust in the healthcare system. In January 2025, the Ministry announced the 'Green Anaesthesia' working group; the objective is to continue advancing the sustainability of the healthcare system and to develop a document of best practices and solutions to achieve 'better anaesthesia for patients and the planet,' an estimated 2% of the National Health System's carbon footprint and approximately 10% of the direct emissions from health centres. Mónica García, MD, Minister of Health of Spain, and a public-sector anaesthesiologist for 20 years, reaffirmed her 'conviction that it is possible to reduce anaesthesia's environmental impact without compromising care quality, patient health, or professional practice. That is why we convened this working group.' Digital Health Another major step in reducing the environmental footprint is moving towards digital health. However, experts caution that the environmental impact of technologies such as artificial intelligence must also be considered. Speaking to El Medico Interactivo , Miguel Ángel Casermeiro, secretary of the Spanish Association for Environmental Impact Assessment, noted that the digital sector is expected to become one of the main consumers of energy, as shown by the rising energy demand in this field. Many data centre projects are currently underway in Spain, positioning the country as a key player in the global management of digital resources. 'This new digital health landscape must also be assessed in terms of its energy use,' he said. At the same time, Casermeiro emphasised that 'Digital health will also yield significant savings in travel and information handling — potentially reducing diagnostic tests — leading to substantial savings for the National Health System.' Similarly, Jaime del Barrio, MD, president of the Digital Health Association, told El Medico Interactivo that while 'digital health has environmental impacts throughout its life cycle, including production, transportation, operations, and end-of-life management. However, the development and implementation can have a positive effect, significantly reduce the carbon footprint, and making the healthcare sector more efficient.'
