Plastics and Health: Knowing the Basics
Plastics have a toxic lifecycle. From fossil-fuel extraction to manufacturing, use and disposal, plastics and the thousands of chemicals added to them create ongoing preventable exposures that show up in drinking water, food, indoor air and people’s bodies. Families, workers and communities, especially those living near petrochemical facilities, bear the health impacts and rising costs.
Most plastics are made from oil and gas. The vast majority of plastics are made from petroleum that is ‘processed ’ into different types of plastic. Certain types of plastics like PVC are made from particularly toxic chemicals like cancer-causing vinyl chloride. Communities living near extraction and production facilities face higher rates of cancer, respiratory illness and other health impacts. Research shows that plastic production is now one of the fastest growing sources of industrial and climate pollution in the United States.
Plastics contain thousands of chemical additives. After the base plastic is made, manufacturers add chemicals to make them harder, softer, more flexible, etc. These chemicals create pollution during production and then leach out during the use and disposal of plastics.
More than 16,000 chemicals have been identified in plastics and at least 25% raise health concerns including cancer, birth defects and endocrine disruption.
Recycled plastics often contain higher levels of toxic additives and contaminants than virgin material because chemicals accumulate/concentrate each time plastic is processed.
Learn more about plastic additives and the harm they can cause here.
Recycling cannot solve the plastic crisis. Over 40% of all plastics are used only a single time and there is no good way to dispose of plastics.
- Only about 5% of plastics in the US are recycled. Many plastics cannot be recycled at all, and recycling plastic often requires new virgin plastic plus more additives.
- Landfilling plastics leads to overcrowded landfills, polluting soil and groundwater with the chemical additives added to the plastic. Those living near these facilities are exposed to more pollution than those who do not.
- Recycling also spreads toxic additives such as phthalates and flame retardants into new products, including food contact materials. This report from Toxic-Free Future details how black plastic often contains toxic flame retardants, likely due to electronics recycling.
Plastic production is accelerating rapidly. Left unchecked, plastic production is projected to triple by 2060. This growth is driven not by consumer demand but by fossil fuel companies shifting from fuel to plastics as the energy market changes.
Plastics contribute to climate change and toxic chemical exposure at the same time. According to the Center for International Environmental Law, if plastic production continues at its current growth rate, greenhouse gas emissions from plastic production could reach 1.34 gigatons per year—equivalent to 295 coal-fired power plants.
