Governments across the world are being urged by millions of healthcare professionals to impose severe restrictions on the plastics sector. In an open letter released on Monday, representatives of 900 health care civil society organizations demanded limits on the manufacture of plastics, restrictions on harmful chemicals, and complete information regarding the ingredients of plastics.
The letter was sent to the country teams at the end of the fourth round of plastics discussions hosted by the U.N. Environment Program in Ottawa, Canada. The issue that divides delegates is whether or not plastic pollution can be decreased without reducing plastic output. The open letter from Health Care Without Harm states that “plastic poses an ongoing crisis for human and planetary health, which will inevitably worsen with the planned dramatic increase in plastics production, unless global action is taken.”
The letter, which was signed by six million medical professionals worldwide, alerts readers to the serious health risks that plastics bring, both from direct poisoning and from their contribution to climate change due to the industry’s reliance on fossil fuels.
“Thousands of hazardous additives, such as carcinogens, neurotoxicants, and endocrine disruptors, are needed for plastics used in the healthcare industry. These additives can leach from products and waste and persist in the environment, endangering patients, communities, workers, and ecosystems.”
They contend that these effects significantly raise expenses for the global health care system and are especially concerning for “vulnerable patients,” such as children, fetuses, and newborns.
Additionally, they contend that many of these risks are exacerbated by their concealment, stating that “efforts to reuse, recycle, and to move to safer alternatives are impeded by the lack of full product ingredient information.”