The World’s $1.5 Trillion Plastics Crisis: A Growing Threat to Human Health

The World’s $1.5 Trillion Plastics Crisis: A Growing Threat to Human Health
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A new expert review published in The Lancet warns that the world is facing a “plastics crisis” of immense proportions, posing a “grave, growing and under-recognized danger” to both human and planetary health, The Guardian reported. The report estimates the health-related damages from this crisis cost at least $1.5 trillion (£1.1 trillion) annually, a figure based on the impact of just three plastic chemicals—PBDE, BPA, and DEHP—across only 38 countries.

The crisis is driven by an explosion in plastic production, which has increased by over 200 times since 1950. Without a cap on production, the report projects that annual output will nearly triple to over a billion tonnes by 2060. This surge has led to an estimated 8 billion tonnes of plastic now polluting the planet, with less than 10% of all plastic ever produced being recycled.

The review highlights that plastics endanger people at every stage of their life cycle. The fossil fuels used in their production release the equivalent of 2 billion tonnes of CO2 per year—more than Russia’s annual emissions. Furthermore, the over 16,000 chemicals used in plastics, many of which are linked to health effects, are a major concern. The report notes that exposure to these chemicals is associated with increased risks of miscarriage, premature and stillbirth, birth defects, impaired lung growth, childhood cancer, and fertility problems later in life.

Microplastics, which have been found in blood, brains, breast milk, placentas, semen, and bone marrow, have also been linked to serious health issues like strokes and heart attacks. These findings were released ahead of negotiations for a legally binding global plastics treaty, with the report emphasizing that recycling alone cannot solve the problem.