[Letter] Global plastic treaty should address chemicals

By Tridibesh Dey , Leonardo Trasande, Rebecca Altman, Zhanyun Wang, Anja Krieger, Melanie Bergmann, Deonie Allen, Steve Allen, Tony R. Walker, Martin Wagner, Kristian Syberg, Susanne M. Brander, and Bethanie Carney Almroth
Science
November 24, 2022
DOI: 10.1126/science.adf5410

In March, the global community agreed to establish a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. To deliver on this goal, the treaty needs to cover all issues of plastics chemicals as an inseparable part of the problem.

Plastics are complex materials consisting of chemical mixtures, including polymers, additives, residual monomers and processing aids, and non-intentionally added substances. Such mixtures release across the plastics life cycle, from feedstock extraction, production, and use, to reuse, recycling, and disposal; they also recombine along complex, unplanned pathways (1). As a result, humans and environments are ubiquitously exposed to plastics chemicals, often with serious consequences.

Out of more than 10,000 known plastics chemicals, at least 2400 are classified as toxic, such as many phthalates and brominated flame retardants (2–4). Documented health effects span generations and include premature births, low birth weight, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, endometriosis, infertility, and cancers (5). In the United States alone, associated costs of endocrine-disrupting chemicals amount to USD$300 billion/year (6, 7). The total burden on community, ecosystem health, and biodiversity is far greater (8, 9).

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