Boston - Saba:
Experts warned in a recently published report that plastic pollution poses a "serious, growing, and underrecognized threat" to health and costs the world at least $1.5 trillion annually.
The new review of existing evidence, conducted by leading health researchers and physicians, was published one day before the opening of new talks in Geneva aimed at concluding the world's first treaty on plastic pollution.
"Plastic materials cause disease and death from infancy to old age and are responsible for health-related economic losses exceeding $1.5 trillion annually," according to the review, published in the Lancet medical journal.
The report compared plastics to air pollution and lead, and stated that its impact on health can be mitigated through laws and policies.
Experts called on delegates from some 180 countries gathered in Geneva to finally agree on a treaty after previous failed attempts.
Philip Landrigan, a physician and researcher at Boston College in the United States, warned that vulnerable people, especially children, are the most affected by plastic pollution.
“We must act in response,” he said in a statement. “To the participants in Geneva: Please seize the opportunity of the challenge and find common ground that will enable meaningful and effective international cooperation in responding to this global crisis.”
The researchers also warned of tiny pieces of plastic called microplastics, which have been found throughout nature—and throughout human bodies.
The full impact of microplastics on health is not yet known, but researchers have sounded the alarm about the potential impact of this ubiquitous plastic.
The report stated that the amount of plastic produced globally increased from 2 million tons in 1950 to 475 million tons in 2022. This number is expected to triple by 2060.
It added that less than 10 percent of all plastic is currently recycled.
Landrigan said the global plastic crisis is linked to the climate crisis. Plastic is made from fossil fuels.
"The magnitude of the climate crisis and the plastic crisis cannot be understated," Landrigan said.
He added that "both cause illness, death, and disability today for tens of thousands of people, and these harms will become more severe in the coming years as the planet continues to warm and plastic production continues to increase."
The report also announced a new effort to track the impact of plastic pollution on health, the latest in a series called The Lancet Countdown.
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