Plastics in Our Bodies are Fueling a Global Health Crisis

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Doctors are sounding alarms about plastic pollution's serious health consequences, urging the United Nations to prioritize evidence-based solutions in upcoming global treaty talks.

In short:

The Plastic Health Council warns that the current UN draft treaty fails to fully address plastic's health impacts.

Toxins in plastics, such as endocrine-disrupting chemicals, have been linked to serious health problems like strokes and heart attacks.

Countries like the US are shifting to support reduced plastic production, but major petrochemical industries resist stronger regulations.

Key quote:

"The planet pays the price of plastic — but so, too, does its people. It is not only the oceans that are filling with plastic: across all ages, our bodies contain growing volumes of plastic particles."

— Hugh Montgomery, professor of intensive care medicine at the University College London & Whittington Health NHS Trust

Why this matters:

Plastic particles are now turning up in places they should never be — our blood, organs, even in the placentas of newborns. The big question: What long-term havoc could this be wreaking on our bodies? Strokes, heart attacks, premature death — the research is starting to piece together these connections, but the treaty, so far, isn’t matching that urgency.

 Courtesy: www.ehn.org