A recent report from prominent medical journals highlights that the worldwide “plastic crisis” incurs a staggering cost of $1.5 trillion annually for governments and taxpayers.
By 2060, plastic production is projected to triple, with less than 10% being recycled. Currently, approximately 8,000 megatons of plastic are contaminating the planet. Recent research reviews published on Sunday by the Lancet.
This issue inflicts damage at every phase, from fossil fuel extraction and production to human consumption and eventual environmental disposal, according to the British publication.
“Plastics pose a significant, escalating, and often overlooked threat to both human and environmental health.” “They contribute to illness and mortality from infancy to old age, exacerbating climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.”
He also noted that these adverse effects “disproportionately impact low-income and vulnerable populations.”
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This serves as the latest alarming message from experts regarding the widespread dangers posed by plastics, which the Journal deems “the material for our age.” After years of warnings about their presence in oceans and rivers, microplastics have now been discovered in humans, including in breast milk and brain tissue.
Sunday’s announcement initiated a new monitoring system called the “Lancet Countdown on Health and Plastics.”
This was introduced alongside the concluding speeches in Geneva, Switzerland, where representatives from 175 countries are seeking to establish the first global treaty on plastics.
Activists are hopeful that the discussions taking place from Tuesday through August 14th will set key objectives for reducing plastic production. Some nations, including China, Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, have previously resisted these initiatives and advocated for increased plastic recycling.
According to the Lancet, major petrochemical companies are “key players” in the escalating production of plastics as they shift their focus towards plastics in light of dwindling fossil energy demand.
Various plastics, often derived from food and beverage containers and packaging, contain up to 16,000 different chemicals, which “enter the human body through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal absorption,” the study states.
Pregnant women, infants, and young children are “especially vulnerable,” facing risks such as miscarriage, physical deformities, cognitive impairment, and diabetes. In adults, the risks include cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cancer.
“Given the substantial gaps in our understanding of plastic chemicals, it is likely that the health threats they pose are undervalued, and the disease burden resulting from them is currently underestimated,” he added.
The Lancet cited a study that estimated the global financial burden of these illnesses to be $1.5 trillion.
“It is now evident that the world cannot escape the plastic pollution crisis,” stated the Lancet. “Addressing this crisis requires continuous research, involving science-backed interventions: legislation, policy, monitoring, enforcement, incentives, and innovation.”
Source: www.nbcnews.com
