The 全球 Observatory on Pollution and 健康 at Boston College and an international team of researchers are launching a study of the hazards plastic products pose to global human health across the continuum of their production, 使用, 和处置, according to observatory director Professor of Biology Philip 兰德里根,M.D.
More than 400 million metric tons of plastic are produced annually—up from just 1.7 million metric tons produced in 1950—with the largest recent growth in single-使用 plastics. An estimated 10 to 12 million tons of plastic waste enter the oceans each year, said Landrigan. More than 100 million tons of plastic, mostly microscopic particles, coat the ocean floor.
“We expect this study will take a year to complete and we will be looking at the impacts of plastic on human health across the life cycle of plastic products,” said Landrigan, who also directs BC’s Programs for 全球 Public 健康 and the Common Good.
“Plastic poses hazards to human health at every stage of its life cycle.”
The project is a continuation of the observatory’s partnership with the Centre Scientifique de 摩纳哥 and 摩纳哥’s Prince Albert II. But its scope extends far beyond the impact on ocean pollution, the focus of a groundbreaking 2020 study led by Landrigan and his Centre Scientifique de 摩纳哥 colleagues: It will take an expansive look at hazards associated with plastic from “cradle to grave”—from the origins of fabrication, to the myriad end states of the ubiquitous material, to the consequences for human health, the environment, and climate change, 兰德里根说.
菲利普J. 兰德里根,M.D. (Gary Wayne Gilbert)
“Plastic poses hazards to human health at every stage of its life cycle,” said Landrigan. “What people don’t realize is the main feed stock for plastics is natural gas and in some cases oil. Almost all plastic is based on carbon and gas and oil are the two most abundant sources of carbon. The chemical industry is rapidly building plants that take oil and gas and convert them into the building blocks of plastics production. Plastic manufacturing is increasing exponentially.”
兰德里根说 financial support for the project will come from the Prince Albert II of 摩纳哥 Foundation 和澳大利亚’s Minderoo Foundation, which supports a sizable portfolio of global public health and wellness initiatives. In addition to researchers in Chestnut Hill, 摩纳哥, 和澳大利亚, other investigators on the project include experts from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod, the Nigerian Institute of Medical 电子游戏正规平台, Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, and Cornell University.
Many on the team contributed to the 2020 report that found ocean pollution is widespread and getting worse, and when toxins in the oceans make landfall, they imperil human health and well-being.
这项电子游戏正规平台, which drew together data from nearly 600 scientific reports, was the first comprehensive examination of the impacts of ocean pollution on human health. On the subject of plastic, 兰德里根说 studies have shown a range of health consequences from the world’s growing dependence on the material, 使用d in products as varied as aircraft, 汽车, food containers, medical supplies, and children’s toys. The team will analyze both prior studies
and new data, he said.
“We will look at all phases of plastic production and the health impacts; fracking to extract natural gas; transportation; gas storage; risks of fire and explosion; hazards of plastic manufacture; turning the raw material into plastic; and the carcinogens present in many of the chemical additives required to make these products. We will examine the hazards to workers in plants and factories and in those communities,and the hazards associated with the daily 使用 of plastics.”
The study will also make recommendations for changes in chemical and plastic policy to better protect human and ocean health. A two-day planning workshop was recently held at Centre Scientifique de 摩纳哥 during 摩纳哥 Ocean Week 2022.
Ed Hayward | University Communications | May 2022