Plastic causing “disease and death from infancy to old age,” report warns

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1. **From CBS News:**

   Plastic pollution is a “grave, growing and under-recognized danger” to health that is costing the world at least $1.5 trillion a year, a [report](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01447-3/fulltext?ftag=YHF4eb9d17) published Monday in the Lancet medical journal said.

   The new review of existing evidence, which was carried out by leading health researchers and doctors, was published one day ahead of fresh talks in Geneva aiming at getting the world’s first treaty on plastic pollution. The experts called for the delegates from nearly 180 nations expected to attend the gathering to finally agree on a treaty after previous failed attempts.

   Comparing plastic to air and lead pollution, the report said the [impact on health](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/microplastics-human-brains-study/?ftag=YHF4eb9d17) of plastic pollution could be mitigated by laws and policies.

   “Plastics cause disease and death from infancy to old age and are responsible for health-related economic losses exceeding $1.5 trillion annually,” it said.

   A recent umbrella review of epidemiological research on the health impacts of plastic chemicals showed “consistent evidence for multiple health effects at all stages of human life for many plastic chemicals” and found that infants and young children were especially at risk, the report said. “These effects include impaired reproductive potential (eg, polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis), perinatal effects (eg, miscarriage, reduced birthweight, and malformations of the genital organs), diminished cognitive function (eg, intelligence quotient loss), insulin resistance, hypertension and obesity in children, and type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, obesity, and cancer in adults.”

   “It is incumbent on us to act in response,” Philip Landrigan, a doctor and researcher at Boston College, said in a statement responding to the report. “To those meeting in Geneva: please take up the challenge and the opportunity of finding the common ground that will enable meaningful and effective international cooperation in response to this global crisis.”

2. Plastic is basically the new asbestos

3. If you want a depressing, but illuminating, couple of hours, watch A Plastic Ocean. I have watched it dozens of times as I’ve shown it to students.

4. It’s depressing seeing the zillions of lbs of “flushable” wipes being shredded at wastewater plants. Some of it gets filtered out but so much just gets gummed up in a plant then slowly disintegrates as it heads out into the receiving waters.

5. The heavy metals and the microplastics are duking it out in our organs for the highest kill count.

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