Plastic Chemicals Linked To $249 Billion In US Healthcare Costs, In Just One Year, Study: CNN
'Plastic chemicals linked to $249 billion in US health care costs in just one year, study finds,' CNN, Jan 11, 2024, 2 hrs ago. - Edited.
(CNN) — By contributing to the development of chronic disease and death, a group of hormone-disruptive plastic chemicals is costing the US health care system billions — over $249 billion in 2018 alone, a new study found. “The real contribution of this work is helping the public understand how much of the human health threat of endocrine-disrupting chemicals is due to plastics,” said lead author Dr. Leonardo Trasande, a professor of pediatrics and population health at NYU Langone Health in New York City.
“We’re talking about cancer. We’re talking about brain damage in young children. We’re talking about obesity and diabetes, heart disease and early deaths in adults,” Trasande said.
“Right now, the US is not considering the costs to its own population of industries which continue to produce and consume plastic in the US.” Estimates of the health costs of plastics have been done in the past, but the new study provides a “a better understanding of both potential exposure routes but also potential targets for solutions,” said Bethanie Carney Almroth, science prof. at the Univ. of Gothenburg, Sweden. “And since money talks, this could be a powerful tool in helping people, from consumers to policy makers, in understanding the importance of regulating these chemicals.” She was not involved in the research.
Hopefully the new study can initiate a societal discussion about the use of plastics and the related health risks, said Jane Muncke at the Food Packaging Forum, a nonprofit foundation based in Zurich. “These health costs are currently paid for by society and by the individuals who suffer from the diseases, while the plastics manufacturers and businesses that use plastics for their products make handsome profits,” she said. “This seems very unjust, and hopefully this study can initiate a discussion about true cost accounting — according to ‘the polluter pays’ principle,” she said..
A handful of chemicals: The new research analyzed the impact of 4 groups of chemicals used in the production of plastic products:
- Flame retardants called polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDE; - phthalates, which are used to make plastic more durable; - bisphenols such as BPA and BPS used to create hard plastics and resins; and - per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS. However, these are just a fraction of the chemicals used to make plastics. A United Nations report published in May found more than 13,000 chemicals are used in plastics production... - Read More,
https://www.crossroadstoday.com/news/health/plastic-chemicals-linked-to-249-billion-in-us-health-care-costs-in-just-one-year/article_841498e0-9db1-5f62-b2fa-80f685e4699c.html
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- CNN News Page, 'Plastic chemicals linked to $249 billion in US health care costs in 2018 alone, study finds,' https://www.cnn.com
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