1. World problems
  2. Health hazards of plastics

Health hazards of plastics

  • Disease-causing plastics
  • Plastic poisons

Nature

Ordinary polyethylene (polythene) plastic bags and containers are increasingly linked to a range of diseases ranging from stomach ailments to leukaemia. Their prolonged use is claimed to jeopardize the functioning of the kidney and brain.

Incidence

A 2020 study by Australia’s University of Newcastle found that person could be ingesting five grams of plastic a week, the equivalent of eating a credit card. The largest source was drinking water, with the average person consuming 1,769 particles of plastic every week from water alone. Another major source was shellfish, which tended to be eaten whole so the plastic in their animal's digestive system was consumed too.

In the United States, 94.4% of tap water samples contained plastic fibres, with an average of 9.6 fibres per litre. European water was less polluted, with fibres showing up in only 72.2% of water samples, and only 3.8 fibres per litre.

Broader

Narrower

Aggravates

Lymphatic leukaemia
Unpresentable
Gastric disorders
Unpresentable
Kidney disorders
Yet to rate

Related

Strategy

Value

Poisonous
Yet to rate
Health
Yet to rate
Hazard
Yet to rate
Disease
Yet to rate

SDG

Sustainable Development Goal #3: Good Health and Well-being

Metadata

Database
World problems
Type
(E) Emanations of other problems
Biological classification
N/A
Subject
Content quality
Presentable
 Presentable
Language
English
1A4N
J1891
DOCID
12018910
D7NID
134098
Editing link
Official link
Last update
Nov 3, 2022