Research Explores the Harmful Health Effects of Recycled Plastics

Despite the narrative that recycled plastic is better for the environment and overall health, years of research have explored the harmful health effects linked to recycled plastics. In a report recently published by Greenpeace, an environmental advocacy group, the organization calls on government officials to develop a Global Plastics Treaty and reduce overall reliance on plastics.

“The Treaty should promote safer, toxics-free materials and reuse-based, zero-waste economies, creating new jobs to support these practices, protecting human and planetary health, minimizing resource use, and delivering a just transition for workers and affected communities across the plastics supply and waste chains,” stated the organization in the report.

The report divides the effect of plastic recycling into three primary categories. The first category focuses on the toxic chemicals in new plastics, which, when recycled, are then transferred to recycled plastics. Another class focuses on the leaching of harmful substances into plastic waste, emphasizing the risk of contaminant absorption by plastics that are then recycled. The final category focuses on the toxins generated by the recycling process as a whole.

Each of these pathways increases the risk of human exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which impacts nearly every bodily process and vital organ, including the brain, thyroid, heart, reproductive organs, kidney, and pancreas. Chemical exposure, directly and indirectly, is linked to higher cancer and chronic disease rates.

Additionally, the study notes, “As plastic stockpiles increase, the risk of large fires at recycling facilities is increasing, especially when facilities hold e-waste plastics with used batteries. A survey in the US and Canada in 2022 found a record 390 fires in plastic recycling and waste facilities.”

Fires and similar events that pollute the air can compromise respiratory health, leading to increased asthma incidence rates and a higher prevalence of respiratory cancers.

The data has clearly shown a need to reduce plastic production and use. Greenpeace recommends a global plastics treaty that includes the following goals or plans:

• Immediate reduction of plastic production
• Using reusable and refillable containers
• Tax or charge companies that pollute
• Regulate worker protections
• Provide transparent data about plastics and their health effects