Plastic Threatens Human Health at a Global Scale – New Report

Washington, DC—A new report released today reveals that plastic is a human health crisis hiding in plain sight. Plastic & 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 (t.e.j.a.s.), University of Exeter, and UPSTREAM, brings together research that exposes the distinct toxic risks plastic poses to human health at every stage of the plastic lifecycle, from extraction of fossil fuels, to consumer use, to disposal and beyond.

To date, research into the human health impacts of plastic have focused narrowly on specific moments in the plastic lifecycle, often on single products, processes, or exposure pathways. This approach fails to recognize that significant, complex, and intersecting human health impacts occur at every stage of the plastic lifecycle: from wellhead to refinery, from store shelves to human bodies, and from waste management to ongoing impacts of microplastics in the air, water, and soil. Plastic & Health presents the full panorama of human health impacts of plastic and counsels that any solution to the plastic crisis must address the full lifecycle.

According to the report, uncertainties and knowledge gaps often impede regulation and the ability of consumers, communities, and policymakers to make informed decisions. However, the full scale of health impacts throughout plastic’s lifecycle are overwhelming and warrant a precautionary approach.

In an press release published on February 19, 2019, the non-governmental organization (NGO) the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) announced the publication of a new report titled “Plastic & Health: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet.” The report is authored by a group of eight different organizations and institutions and “brings together research that exposes the distinct toxic risks plastic poses to human health at every stage of the plastic lifecycle.” CIEL writes that whereas earlier research efforts “have focused narrowly on specific moments in the plastic lifecycle,” the approach used in this report “presents the full panorama of human health impacts of plastic and counsels that any solution to the plastic crisis must address the full lifecycle.”

The report is divided into separate chapters that analyze individual stages within the life cycle of plastic from “extraction and transport” to “consumer use” to “plastics in the environment.” A full lifecycle approach is recommended in order to make informed decisions that address plastic risks. To reduce toxic exposure to plastic, the report stresses the need for “a variety of solutions and options” considering that “plastic has a complex lifecycle with a diverse universe of actors.”

CONTINUE READING ON www.ciel.org