Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: PLASTIC pollution is a “grave, growing and under-recognised danger to health that is costing the world at least 1.5 trillion dollar a year, according to a recent report in the Lancet medical journal. Plastics cause disease and death from infancy to old age and are responsible for health-related economic losses. Comparing plastic to air and lead pollution, the report said the impact on health of plastic pollution could be mitigated by laws and policies.
A recent umbrella review of epidemiological research on the health impacts of plastic chemicals showed consistent evidence for multiple health effects at all stages of human life for many plastic chemicals and found that infants and young children were especially at risk, the report said. These effects include impaired reproductive potential and, perinatal effects (miscarriage, reduced birthweight, and malformations of the genital organs), diminished cognitive function, insulin resistance, hypertension and obesity in children, and type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, obesity, and cancer in adults.
The researchers also warned about tiny pieces of plastic called microplastics that have been found throughout nature and throughout human bodies. The full effect of microplastics on health are not yet fully known, but researchers have sounded the alarm about the potential impact of this ubiquitous plastic. The amount of plastic produced by the world has risen from two million tons in 1950 to 475 million tons in 2022, the report said. The number is projected to triple by 2060, yet currently less than 10 per cent of all plastic is recycled.