(605d) Public Health Perspectives Associated with Waste Plastics

Each stage of the plastic lifecycle poses major risks to human health. Worldwide, most people are exposed to plastics at all stages of their lifecycle. Plastic pollution is pervasive worldwide infiltrating our environment, wildlife and marine animals, our food supply, and our human health. Health problems associated with waste plastics include: various forms of cancer; diabetes; several organ malfunctions; impacts on skin, eyes, and other sensory organs; birth defects, among other impacts. Additionally, there are harmful impacts associated with plastic additives, including bisphenol-A, heavy metals (e.g., cadmium and lead); flame retardants, phthalates, perfluorinated substances (PFAS), endocrine disrupting compounds, and other chemicals Plastic production has increased from 2 x 10 ⁶ metric tons in 1950 to 3.80 x 10 ⁸ metric tons in 2015.

Direct environmental exposure to plastics is a result of extraction and transport, refining and manufacture, consumer products and packaging, waste management, fragmentation and micro-plastics formation, cascading exposure as plastics degrade, and ongoing environmental exposures. Humans are exposed to microplastics and associated toxic chemicals through inhalation, ingestion, and direct skin contact throughout the life cycle of plastics. Public health is exacerbated by the fact that more than 2/3 of all plastic produced remains in the environment, as debris in the oceans and waterways, solid waste and litter on land, micro- or nano-particles in the air or agricultural soils, microfibers in water supplies, or microparticles in the human body, etc. As a result, plastics have permeated our air, our soil, our water, and our bodies.

This plenary presentation addresses public health perspectives associated with waste plastics, and offers approaches for minimizing waste plastic formation.