Report: Thousands More Chemicals in Plastics than Estimated
2024-03-19
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1A recently released report from European scientists says there are 16,000 chemicals in plastic materials around the world.
2The report said not enough is known about the safety of all those chemicals.
3They estimate that about 25 percent of these chemicals are possibly harmful to human health or the environment.
4The Norwegian Research Council supported the creation of the report.
5It was released as officials are negotiating a United Nations treaty on plastic pollution.
6The U.N. estimates 400 million metric tons of plastic waste are produced every year.
7Jane Muncke helped write the report.
8She is with the Swiss nonprofit Food Packaging Forum.
9She said to deal with plastic pollution, people must look at the "full life cycle of plastics."
10Researchers fear chemicals from plastics can spread into water and food.
11Muncke said, "We're finding hundreds, if not thousands, of plastic chemicals in people now and some of them have been linked to adverse health outcomes."
12Activists say such effects include possible harm to the reproductive system and cardiovascular disease.
13Martin Wagner is the lead writer of the study.
14He is an environmental scientist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
15He said researchers find hundreds, if not thousands, of chemicals in everyday products when they look for them.
16Kimberly Wise White is with the American Chemistry Council, an industry group.
17She said the findings "ignore real-world exposures."
18She added the findings "paint an incomplete picture" for policy makers and the public.
19The plastics industry has said any worldwide treaty should support recycling and re-use of plastic.
20But the writers of the recent report said that only dealing with plastic waste does not go far enough.
21They said there is a need for more information on chemicals in plastics, including recycled products.
22About 25 percent of the chemicals found lacked information on their chemical identity, the report said.
23Wagner said the problem "is the chemical complexity of plastics."
24He is a leading member of the Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty.
25It is an organization of scientists and experts seeking to advise the plastics treaty process.
26Wagner said, "Often producers don't really know which kind of chemicals they have in their products and that comes from very complex value chains."
27Six percent of the chemicals found in plastics are regulated internationally.
28Wagner said that without regulations, there is no reason for companies to identify what is in the plastics.
29Last year, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) said there were around 13,000 chemicals in plastics.
30Negotiations will continue in Ottawa, Canada.
31The aim is to finish a version of a treaty by December in the South Korean city of Busan.
32I'm Gregory Stachel.
1A recently released report from European scientists says there are 16,000 chemicals in plastic materials around the world. 2The report said not enough is known about the safety of all those chemicals. They estimate that about 25 percent of these chemicals are possibly harmful to human health or the environment. 3The Norwegian Research Council supported the creation of the report. It was released as officials are negotiating a United Nations treaty on plastic pollution. The U.N. estimates 400 million metric tons of plastic waste are produced every year. 4Jane Muncke helped write the report. She is with the Swiss nonprofit Food Packaging Forum. She said to deal with plastic pollution, people must look at the "full life cycle of plastics." 5Researchers fear chemicals from plastics can spread into water and food. 6Muncke said, "We're finding hundreds, if not thousands, of plastic chemicals in people now and some of them have been linked to adverse health outcomes." 7Activists say such effects include possible harm to the reproductive system and cardiovascular disease. 8Martin Wagner is the lead writer of the study. He is an environmental scientist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He said researchers find hundreds, if not thousands, of chemicals in everyday products when they look for them. 9Kimberly Wise White is with the American Chemistry Council, an industry group. She said the findings "ignore real-world exposures." She added the findings "paint an incomplete picture" for policy makers and the public. The plastics industry has said any worldwide treaty should support recycling and re-use of plastic. 10But the writers of the recent report said that only dealing with plastic waste does not go far enough. They said there is a need for more information on chemicals in plastics, including recycled products. About 25 percent of the chemicals found lacked information on their chemical identity, the report said. 11Wagner said the problem "is the chemical complexity of plastics." He is a leading member of the Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty. It is an organization of scientists and experts seeking to advise the plastics treaty process. 12Wagner said, "Often producers don't really know which kind of chemicals they have in their products and that comes from very complex value chains." 13Six percent of the chemicals found in plastics are regulated internationally. Wagner said that without regulations, there is no reason for companies to identify what is in the plastics. 14Last year, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) said there were around 13,000 chemicals in plastics. 15Negotiations will continue in Ottawa, Canada. The aim is to finish a version of a treaty by December in the South Korean city of Busan. 16I'm Gregory Stachel. 17Gloria Dickie reported this story for Reuters. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 18_______________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20life cycle - n. the series of changes that a product might go through form when it is made to when its use is over 21adverse - adj. bad or unfavorable: not good 22cardiovascular - adj. of or relating to the heart and blood vessels 23exposure - n. the fact or condition of being affected by something or experiencing something 24recycle - v. to make something new from (something that has been used before) 25regulate - v. to make rules or laws that control (something)