Plastics linked to $1.5 trillion in global health damage: Study

ISTANBUL

Plastic pollution causes more than $1.5 trillion in health-related economic damage annually and contributes to disease and death at every stage of life, according to a new review published on Sunday in the medical journal The Lancet.

“The world is in a plastics crisis,” the authors wrote. “But it is not inevitable.” They urge science-based, cost-effective policy interventions — including regulations, enforcement, and financial incentives — similar to those used to combat air pollution and lead exposure.

The findings come just as UN-led negotiations to finalize a global plastics treaty resume in Geneva.

Calling plastics a “grave and growing” threat to both human and planetary health, the review warns that plastic production is accelerating.

According to the study, plastic production has skyrocketed from just 2 million metric tons in 1950 to 475 million tons in 2022 and is projected to reach 1.2 billion tons by 2060. Meanwhile, 8 billion tons of plastic waste has accumulated in the environment, most of it still lingering in ecosystems due to its resistance to biodegradation. Less than 10% of plastic is ever recycled.

The publication comes as global negotiations resume this week in Geneva for the second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2). From Aug. 5 to 14, delegates from more than 170 countries will attempt to revive momentum toward a legally binding agreement to curb plastic pollution.