Plastic is literally everywhere – from water bottles to grocery bags to finally Ziploc bags, it has undoubtedly taken a dominant position in our daily lives. Especially amid a pandemic, the use of plastic has surged in households. For example, in certain countries in Asia like South Korea, individuals were more likely to use a delivery system instead of going to restaurants in order to avoid creating meals on their own on a daily basis and catching the coronavirus.
However, according to a new authoritative report “Plastics, EDCs, and Health” of the Endocrine Society and the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), plastics contain hazardous chemical substances such as endocrine-disrupting chemicals that can pose threat to human health. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are “chemicals that disturb the body’s hormone systems and can cause cancer, diabetes, reproductive disorders, and neurological impairments of developing fetuses and children” (The Endocrine Society). To bring this effect, as the name suggests, this substance disrupts the human endocrine system with its toxicity.
Scientists estimate that there are more than a thousand manufactured chemicals that are EDCs, which are used extensively for many purposes, such as packaging, cookware, healthcare, children’s toys, textiles, and more. This exposure to EDCs can occur over the entire lifespan of plastic products, starting from its manufacturing process to its use and finally its disposal. Today, reasonably, human samples consistently test positive for EDCs in their body.
As plastic manufacturing is projected to increase by 30-36% in the next six years, the call for effective public policy to control EDCs is both urgent and imperative. Some governments have already imposed some public policies. For example, the Swiss Government have already proposed to the Stockholm Convention to list the first ultraviolet (UV) stabilizer and plastic additive UV-328 under this convention, which is “the definitive global instrument for assessing, identifying, and controlling the most hazardous chemical substances on the planet” (The Endocrine Society). Now, it is crucial for more countries to join this movement of reducing the cumulative release of EDCs in order to save both convenience and safety for future generations.
Author: Joseph Jung LHS Sophomore
Works Cited
The Endocrine Society. “Plastics pose threat to human health, report shows.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 December 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201215131242.htm>.