“we are transferring plastics to the unborn generation.” By Julie Peller Ph.D.

Green Junction

A new article in the journal Lancet states, “plastics are a grave, growing and under-recognized danger to human and planetary health.” The recent press release from the organization Healthcare without Harm expresses “plastics release climate-warming emissions, contain toxic chemicals, and break down into microplastics that are linked to hormone disruption, cancer, infertility, and other long-term health impacts.” Researchers studying nanoplastics in the human body have discovered “we are transferring plastics to the unborn generation.”

It is abundantly clear that humans are regularly exposed to very small microplastics and nanoplastics, which can invade our bodies. Researchers have identified them in almost every part of the human body, including the heart, brain, kidneys, testicles, liver, the placenta, and breast milk. While studies of the consequences of micro and nanoplastics (MNPs) in the body are in the early stages, we are learning new information thanks to the work of research scientists. There are links between exposures and adverse health outcomes, such as greater susceptibility to cardiovascular disease and lower male fertility. The Lancet article describes animal studies that associate the plastic particles with disruptions in the digestive, respiratory, and reproductive systems, and the presence of MNPs with lung and colon cancers. Studies of MNPs in the brain suggest a link to Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases.

Interestingly, enormous amounts of single-use plastic are used in healthcare. One medical doctor told me that she could not do her work without many of the plastic items available to her. At the same time, the World Medical Association’s website explains, “The health care sector generates 15 million tons of plastic waste every year – that’s the equivalent of seven shopping bags for every patient who walks through a hospital door. Yet, there are already proven, safe alternatives such as reusable and reprocessed medical products that reduce plastic waste without compromising patient safety.”

Recently in Geneva, the international negotiations on plastic pollution failed, even though “over 48 million health professionals, patients, and allies have united to deliver a clear message: Plastic pollution is a public health emergency – the health sector cannot be given a free pass.” (World Medical Association) As with so many societal tribulations, too many leaders choose profits over health. French President Emmanuel Macron posted, “Every day, our health is more threatened. What are we waiting for to take action? I call on all states present in Geneva to adopt a text that meets the environmental and health emergency. For our health. For our environment. For our children.”   

Julie Peller, Ph.D., is an environmental chemist (Professor of Chemistry at Valparaiso University). She has been writing a weekly column called The Green Junction for the past seven years and is helping to move the call of Laudato Si to action forward. Her research interests include advanced oxidation for aqueous solutions, water quality analyses, emerging contaminants, air quality analyses, challenges along the Lake Michigan shoreline (such as Cladophora, water, and sediment contaminants), and student and citizen participation in environmental work.