⇧ [VIDÉO] You might also like this partner content
Every year, the world produces an average of 400 million tonnes of plastic. In just two decades, the amount of plastic waste has doubled, from 180 to 350 million tonnes, according to OECD data. This waste poses a major threat to the environment, but plastic also poses a danger to public health. A recent study has found a worrying link between chemicals in plastics and hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide.
Packaging, kitchen utensils, household products, furniture, household appliances… Plastic is present in almost all of our daily objects. While the environmental impact of plastic waste has been widely studied, researchers, including Maureen Cropper of the University of Maryland, have been looking at the health effects of this material for less time.
According to Cropper, as many as 16,000 chemicals are added to plastics to give them various properties, such as durability or color. However, some of these additives can migrate out of the coatings and expose users to health risks such as endocrine disorders or an increased risk of cancer.
Cropper and his team focused their research on three chemicals found in everyday objects: bisphenol A (BPA) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), used in particular in food packaging, as well as ethers polybrominated diphenyls (PBDE), present in various household appliances.
« By examining exposures to these toxic substances and their impacts on health, we provide evidence of the health benefits of reducing exposure to chemicals contained in plastics.», Write the researchers in their study.
5.4 million coronary heart diseases linked to BPA
As part of their investigation, the team analyzed 1,700 existing studies and extracted data on exposure to these three chemicals in 38 countries, covering a third of the world’s population. Researchers also consulted medical records and toxicology reports to assess health impacts.
Their conclusions, published in the journal PNASprovide important insight. In 2015, approximately 5.4 million cases of coronary heart disease and 346,000 strokes were attributable to BPA exposure. Additionally, the analysis suggests that DEHP was responsible for approximately 164,000 deaths, primarily in individuals aged 55 to 64 years.
See also
The use of these substances has declined in many countries since the end of the 2000s, thanks to strict regulations. However, researchers estimate that if these measures had been strengthened and applied earlier, between 2003 and 2015, particularly in the United States, around 515,000 deaths linked to BPA and DEHP could have been avoided. They add that a reduced level of PBDEs in mothers would have made it possible to preserve 42 million intelligence quotient (IQ) points globally over the period 2005-2015, avoiding cognitive disorders linked to prenatal exposure.
Of the 38 countries studied, only Canada, South Korea and the United States have databases that track levels of these chemicals in blood and urine samples. This resource ensured the reliability of the results obtained by the research team.
