By George Omagbemi
A new investigation has raised fresh concerns over everyday plastic products, finding that 92.8% of assessed chemicals used in plastics present a high risk to human health.
The finding comes from the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) report, Poison Plastics: How Chemicals in Everyday Plastics Are Harming Your Health, published Wednesday and provided exclusively to CNN.
The analysis examined plastics used in products people encounter daily, including food packaging, clothing, children’s toys, household goods, hygiene products and medical items.
According to the report, potential health concerns associated with the chemicals include cancer, infertility, genetic changes, endocrine disruption and reproductive and organ toxicity.
The analysis found high-risk chemicals in nearly 92% of food-contact plastics, 89% of children’s toys, 93% of textiles and clothing, and more than 92% of common household products.
EJF also reported that 54.2% of the high-risk chemicals identified are not regulated internationally and across the European Union, Japan, South Korea and California.
However, the findings have drawn criticism from the American Chemistry Council, which said the report excludes major regulatory frameworks and could mischaracterise the regulatory status of chemicals.
The report has nevertheless intensified calls for safer plastic products and stronger controls over chemicals used in everyday consumer goods.
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