7 days ago
Everyday household items elevated as 'threat to humanity'
Plastic is found in human breast milk, brains, lungs, and male genitals, but are everyday household items like containers, toys and clothing actually bad for our health? One of the world's oldest peer-reviewed medical journals is concerned enough to label it a 'threat to humanity'.
Overnight, The Lancet launched the Countdown on Health and Plastic scheme to collate independent data to help inform decision-makers on these four topics:
Health impacts
Exposures
Production and emissions
Interventions and engagement
The announcement was made late on Monday (Australian time), advancing the crisis to the same level as climate change. It came as delegates from around the world gather in Switzerland for the fifth session of negotiations on a Global Plastics Treaty.
Related: What happens when you put plastic in your dishwasher?
Funding for the program is principally funded by Australia's Minderoo Foundation, a philanthropic organisation set up by mining billionaire Andrew Forrest and his then-wife Nicola.
The Foundation's head of plastics and human health, Professor Sarah Dunlop, said there is 'overwhelming' evidence highlighting the dangers associated with plastic use. 'Toxic chemicals in everyday plastic items leach into our bodies, and harm human health at every stage of our lives,' she said.
As the treaty negotiations offered an opportunity to increase regulation around its use, she said the launch of the Countdown is something that 'negotiators in Geneva cannot ignore'.
Grim studies point to worrying impacts of plastic use
Until now, collating disparate research and making sure it reached decision-makers has been a challenge for scientists. Studies on the impact of plastic are frequently published, but they are quickly forgotten and don't often result in a direct impact on its manufacture or use.
A French study published in July estimated humans are breathing in 68,000 tiny plastic particles a day. But it's not just in human bodies where plastic is found — the substance litters some of the deepest parts of the ocean and the most remote corners of Antarctica.
There is growing evidence that it's causing harm to wildlife, and it's been linked to a respiratory disease in birds. Emerging research from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory has linked its use to antimicrobial resistance.
As new types of plastic are created, researchers say their impact on humans is unknown as they're rolled out to market. Most contain a cocktail of chemicals, and a study, published in the prestigious journal Nature in July, argued 4,200 should be banned from use.
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