A report finds plastics disrupting the endocrine health in people

NEW DELHI: Researchers from the Endocrine Society and the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) published a report outlining various ways through which a person is exposed to plastics in such a way that it disrupts their endocrine system. Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can intensify or directly cause many health problems in a person including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer of few types.

The report highlighted that more than 1000 chemicals, widely in use today are EDCs and are typically present in plastics that we use, which has the potential to leech into a person’s body. These EDCs containing plastics are sizably found in children’s toys, packaging, food production,  furniture, electrical goods, textiles, cosmetics,cookware, healthcare settings, and vehicles.

The lead author of the report, Prof Jodi Flaws, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Urbana, said that many of the plastics that we use every day at home and work are continuously exposing us to a harmful cocktail of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Definitive action is needed on a global level to protect human health and our environment from these threats. The Endocrine Society through the report highlighted that people can try to reduce their exposure to EDCs by learning which products typically contain these chemicals and finding replacements for those products.

Pamella Miller, co-chair, IPEN, said that it is imperative that global policies to reduce and eliminate EDCs from plastic and reduce exposures from plastic recycling, plastic waste, and incineration are introduced. She said that this particular report puts in view the current acceleration of plastic production, which is projected to increase by 36 per cent in next 6 years, which in turn will exacerbate EDC exposures and rising global rates of endocrine diseases. Referring to the lot of developing countries, she added, “EDCs in plastics are an international health issue that is felt acutely in the global south, where toxic plastic waste shipments from wealthier countries inundate communities.”