Australia (Commonwealth Union) – In spite of the awareness of the impact of plastic use and pollution on health, plastic still remain in a wide variety of areas of our lives. However recent years have seen supermarkets incentivize non-plastic bag use and many bakeries replace plastic bags with paper bags, which still falls short of the much-needed changes.
In Australia, people are exposed to plastic chemicals every day and a new study is evaluating the impact on human health.
Professor Michaela Lucas, of The University of Western Australia, (UWA) Medical School, is leading the trial investigating the quantity of plastic chemicals in the bodies of adults and looking into if exposure can be lowered, by changing production we eat, and what personal care products we use. She explained that plastic chemicals are present on products we put on our skin, clothing we wear, the air we breathe, the food we consume amongst others, adding that while proof is surfacing on harm from a small number of plastic chemicals, there is much that we do not know particularly about the exact ways in which these plastic chemicals cause harm.
The increased rates of obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases have coincided with the elevated use of synthetic chemicals in our environment and lives. “We need to start to think outside the box and measure the impact of environmental exposure and examine the role plastics exposure may play,” Professor Lucas said. “This research will help us find out more about the health impacts of plastic chemical exposure.”
The Minderoo Foundation funded the research, which is being carried out by UWA researchers, doctors, dietitians, nurses and scientists. Professor Lucas stated that it was the first time a detailed study was carried out from any place and an exciting chance ‘for Western Australia research to project on the world stage and lead the world – change.
