Plastics in Our Blood: U.N. Treaty Must Tackle Health Fallout

S international negotiations resume in Geneva this August on a landmark United Nations treaty to end plastic pollution, leading health experts are warning that the proposed agreement lacks the teeth needed to protect public health.

- SV Krishna Chaitanya @ Chennai

Without stronger measures to regulate hazardous chemicals embedded in plastics and curb plastic production itself, scientists say the treaty could fall short of preventing a worsening global health crisis.

In a joint commentary, Nicholas Chartres from the University of Sydney, Bjorn Beeler of the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), and Dr. Tracey Woodruff from Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California argue that the treaty must undergo a paradigm shift—from focusing narrowly on waste management to regulating plastic as a hazardous material throughout its entire lifecycle.

The urgency of their appeal is grounded in mounting scientific evidence. A new systematic review led by Chartres, published in biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the US National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM) found high-certainty evidence that microplastics negatively affect the human reproductive, digestive, and respiratory systems. Although only three of the 31 studies in the review involved human participants, data from 28 animal studies pointed to alarming biological effects. Researchers concluded that microplastic exposure is suspected to contribute to reduced fertility, gastrointestinal inflammation, and respiratory harm.

Microplastics and nanoplastics, formed from the breakdown of larger plastics or intentionally added to consumer goods, have been detected in human lungs, blood, kidneys, placenta, and even brain tissue. These particles often carry a toxic cocktail of chemicals, many of which are endocrine disruptors capable of interfering with hormonal and immune systems. "These chemicals interfere with hormonal systems and have been linked to chronic diseases," said Dr. Woodruff.