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‘Tsunami’ of plastic damaging health must be stopped, scientists warn UN

Global population 'eat and drink' hazardous material, world leaders told amid treaty negotiations

By Hayley Dixon, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

12 November 2023 • 6:22pm

A “tsunami” of plastic which is damaging human health must be stopped, scientists have warned the UN
amid negotiations on a global treaty.

As world leaders gather in Nairobi to debate an agreement on reducing plastics, more than 20 health
scientists have called on them to use this “once in a lifetime opportunity” to ensure the agreement is
“strong enough to protect the health of future generations”.

Dr John Peterson Myers, chief scientist at Environmental Health Sciences and member of the Plastic
Health Council, which organised the letter, said: “What began as an almost invisible trickle near the
Health Council, which organised the letter, said: “What began as an almost invisible trickle near the
beginning of the 20th century now in the 21st has become a monstrous tsunami.

“Plastic and plastic chemicals have spread like a scourge to every part of our planet, even inside us at levels
known to be hazardous. Yet industry projections based on ‘business as usual’ anticipate the volume of
plastics created will double by the mid-century.

“We must choose. Will we smother the Earth and ourselves with toxic plastics? Or do we have the courage
and foresight to stop the onslaught?”

Negotiations on an international legally binding treaty on plastic pollution began at the UN in 2022 and
they hope to have an agreement in place by the end of 2024.

Environment activists call for plastic waste to be reduced in Nairobi CREDIT: Edwin Ndeke/Anadolu /Getty

Ahead of negotiations on the treaty on Monday, the UN released a rst draft which includes proposals to
reduce plastic production and to introduce bans or to phase out certain polymers and chemicals of
concern.

The draft represents the views expressed by its members at earlier meetings on the treaty, the UN has said,
but is not a nished agreement.

However, the letter published in the Telegraph on Sunday warned that the draft “falls far short of what is
However, the letter published in the Telegraph on Sunday warned that the draft “falls far short of what is
actually needed to protect human and wildlife health”.

It notes that “many of the 16,000 chemicals used in the manufacture of plastic are hazardous” and can lead
to issues including fertility problems, heart disease and cancer.

“Moreover, mounting evidence demonstrates that plastic particles pollute the air, drinking water, and food,
leading to an ever-increasing risk of inhalation and ingestion on a global scale,” they said.

‘Found in human blood’

“Plastic particles have been found in human blood, lungs and the placenta, posing a serious public health
threat.”

Prof Hugh Montgomery of University College London, Dr Linda Birnbaum of Duke University and Prof Dr
Dick Vethaak of VU University Amsterdam are among the signatories.

They are calling on the UN to deliver “a treaty that will reduce the production volume of plastics overall,
eradicate all but veri ably essential single-use plastic items (and commits to funding sustainable chemistry
research to innovate safe replacements), mandates proper testing of all chemicals in plastics and
unequivocally prohibits ‘chemical recycling’ of plastics.”

Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet and the Plastic Health Council, said: “Plastic is inescapable,
omnipresent in our lives, and so are the chemical additives and particles that come with it.

“We are breathing, drinking and eating plastic every day. It is a material that is not on the periodic table. It
is a blend of chemicals; some of them deemed toxic by health scientists. No more research and facts are
needed to irrefutably prove these chemicals are bad for us.”

Related Topics
Plastic, United Nations, Health

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