Synthetic Chemicals in Food System Create $2.2 Trillion Annual Health Burden, New Study Warns
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\nA new international study released on 10 December 2025 warns that synthetic chemicals widely used in the global food system \u2014 including phthalates, bisphenols, pesticides, and PFAS \u201cforever chemicals\u201d \u2014 are causing widespread health and environmental damages, with an estimated global health burden of $2.2\u202ftrillion annually.<\/p>\n
According to The Guardian, the report, compiled by scientists from institutions such as the Institute of Preventive Health, Center for Environmental Health, ChemSec, University of Sussex, and Duke University under the leadership of the sustainability company Systemiq, calls for urgent action.<\/p>\n
Researchers found links between chemical exposure and increased rates of cancer, infertility, neurodevelopmental disorders, and ecosystem degradation. Even a conservative accounting of environmental costs \u2014 including lost agricultural output and water\u2011safety measures \u2014 adds a further $640\u202fbillion burden. Alarmingly, prolonged exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals like bisphenols could result in 200\u2013700 million fewer births worldwide between 2025 and 2100.<\/p>\n
Lead author Professor Philip Landrigan called the findings \u201ca wake\u2011up call,\u201d comparing chemical pollution\u2019s threat to climate change. He warned that the thousands of unregulated synthetic chemicals in daily use \u2014 especially those that impair children\u2019s brain development or hormonal health \u2014 pose long-term risks that remain largely unmonitored.<\/p>\n
With chemical production rising more than 200-fold since the 1950s and over 350,000 synthetic compounds now on the market, the study underscores a critical need for stronger regulation, transparent risk assessments, and a global commitment to safeguarding public health and the environment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Synthetic Chemicals in Food System Create $2.2 Trillion Annual Health Burden, New Study Warns ———————————- A new international study released on 10 December 2025 warns that synthetic chemicals widely used in the global food system \u2014 including phthalates, bisphenols, pesticides, and PFAS \u201cforever chemicals\u201d \u2014 are causing widespread health and environmental damages, with an estimated …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":137834,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_108372464460192_245495985553329":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[9779],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-137835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-diet"],"yoast_head":"\n