Chemicals in Plastics Are Much More Than Previously Estimated

At least 3,000 more chemicals are in plastics – from food packaging to toys and medical devices – than previously estimated by environmental agencies, according to a report published Thursday, raising questions about pollution and safety. consumers.

While the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) previously identified about 13,000 plastic chemicals opens new tab, the report opens new tab by a team of European scientists found more than 16,000 chemicals in plastics — a quarter of which are considered dangerous to human health and the environment.

The report, funded by the Research Council of Norway, comes as government negotiators grapple with devising the world’s first treaty to tackle growing plastic pollution, with around 400 million tonnes of plastic waste produced each year.

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“To firmly address plastic pollution, you really have to look at the full life cycle of plastics and you have to address the issue of chemicals,” said report co-author Jane Muncke, CEO of the Swiss non-profit Food Packaging Forum.

This is because plastic chemicals can leach into water and food.

“We’re finding hundreds, if not thousands, of plastic chemicals in humans now, and some of them have been linked to adverse health effects,” Muncke said.

Such effects include fertility issues and cardiovascular disease.

“When we look at … products that we use on a daily basis, we usually find hundreds if not thousands of chemicals in a single plastic product,” said lead author Martin Wagner, an environmental toxicologist at Norwegian University. of Science and Technology.

While the plastics industry has said any global treaty should promote recycling and reuse of plastic, tackling plastic waste alone does not protect people, the report’s authors said.

The scientists highlighted the need for more transparency about what chemicals – including additives, processing aids and impurities – are being introduced into plastics – including recycled products.

A quarter of identified chemicals lack basic information about their basic chemical identity, the report said.

“At the heart of the problem is the chemical complexity of plastics,” said Wagner, who also serves on the board of the Coalition of Scientists for an Effective Plastics Treaty.

“Often producers don’t really know what kind of chemicals they have in their products and that comes from very complex value chains.”

Only 6% of the chemicals found in plastics are controlled internationally. Without regulatory pressure, “there’s no incentive to disclose what’s in the plastics,” he said.

This is something that a plastics treaty could help address. Negotiations continue next month in Ottawa, Canada, with the goal of finalizing a treaty in December in the South Korean city of Busan.