The Global Plastics Treaty and Respiratory Health

Plastic production, use, and disposal threaten Earth’s communities, air, water, biodiversity, and soils. The Global Plastics Treaty seeks to address the issue of plastic pollution and course-correct our society for generations to come. One area of human life that can benefit significantly from robust global action is respiratory health.

Microplastics in the air are detrimental to our respiratory system. According to the Center for International and Environmental Law, while airborne microplastics research is in its early stages, studies on the inhalation of micro- and nanoparticles of plastics show a series of adverse effects along the respiratory tract and beyond, ranging from irritation to the onset of cancer in cases of chronic exposure.

Although often taken lightly, asthma can be severely impacted by plastic. Exposure to chemicals used in the production of plastics, such as antimony, cobalt, phthalates, and bisphenol A (commonly known as BPA), may increase the risk of asthma. Phthalates also increase the risk of allergies among children.

Along the Gulf Coast in the U.S., there’s an infamously known territory called “Cancer Alley,” where low-income communities and communities of color reside. Plastic pollution via toxic air emissions falls disproportionately on Black and Brown communities in this area due to the petrochemical plants littered throughout the coast. These factories emit a chemical called “ethylene oxide,” which heightens the risk of cancer. 

Worldwide, the health-related cost of plastic production exceeded $250 billion in 2015. The US alone exceeded $920 billion in 2015 due to the health costs of disease and disability caused by the plastic-associated chemicals PBDE, BPA, and DEHP.

Defend Our Health has co-sponsored a petition alongside over a dozen organizations calling for the Biden Administration to take a stronger stance on the Global Plastics Treaty. Some of the actions we are urging government officials to take include:

• Supporting mandatory, ambitious, and enforceable control measures and obligations to ensure results and accountability. 
• Prioritizing the reduction of plastic production, with a rapid phase-out of the most harmful plastics and additives. 
• Reducing plastic production by ceasing to permit new or expanded facilities and infrastructure. 
• Phase out intentionally added microplastics.

Sign the petition to join the fight and ensure our collective future is plastic pollution-free.