Donal Hickey: Plastic pollution linked to disease risk
A Chronic Reveals New May Cancer, Human Are Levels Be Rising Disease, Into Cardiovascular And People Study Body, – Global Disease As At And Micro Risk Of From The Absorbed Increased Diabetes, Nanoplastics Lung (mnps)
The need to tackle plastics pollution at global level has been highlighted by a leading academic at University College Cork (UCC).
During the general election in Britain, the Plastics Network at the University of Birmingham campaigned for action by political parties and made recommendations for sustainable plastics policies.
With a general election impending here, Dr Marcel Jansen, Professor in Environmental Plant Biology, UCC, was asked to comment. He said he wasn’t aware of any similar campaign by universities here and feels the issue should really be addressed internationally.
“While it’s good to engage with politicians and to raise issues at local level, I believe the real way to go with this problem is through international treaties which every country must sign up to,’’ he said, pointing to the Montreal Protocol on the protection of the ozone layer as an example.
A report on the plastics issue is due from the UN Environmental Panel in early 2025.
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“Plastics are here to stay and while they have real benefits, they also have real environmental costs. Any solution must match those," Dr Jansen said.
“We need to look at bespoke actions for different countries. The next generation of plastics also needs to be smarter, easier to break down and with a shorter lifespan.’’ According to an EPA report for 2021, just 28% of waste plastic packaging was recycled here, with 70% incinerated for energy recovery.
More than 10 billion tonnes of plastic, which can take centuries to decompose, have been produced worldwide. Nearly eight billion tonnes have been discarded, so far, with implications for human, animal, and environmental health.
Meanwhile, a new report says people may be at increased risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and chronic lung disease as rising levels of very small plastics, often invisible, are absorbed into the body.
Levels are even higher in infants, possibly because plastic is commonly used in their food preparation and consumption and children tend to put plastic objects into their mouths.
Tiny plastics are everywhere and enter the human body from the environment. People’s exposure occurs in outdoor and indoor environments through food, drinks consumption, air and many other sources including cosmetics and human care products.
They are also in fish, salt, beer and plastic bottled drinks, and can be released from synthetic clothing materials, bedding, carpet or furniture. Other sources can include fertiliser, soil and food crops.
The report by a group of international researchers emphasises the urgency for remedial action. Lead author Professor Stefan Krause, University of Birmingham, said the problem needs to be tackled at source and it will be a cause for concern for centuries to come.