As plastic production rises worldwide, scientists say the health consequences will become more of a burden.
What’s happening?
A study published in The Lancet Planetary Health estimates that, in 2016, pollution from plastic lifecycles was associated with about 2.1 million global disability-adjusted life years, which is a way to measure how much healthy life people lose because of disability or early death.
The analysis projects that, if trends continue, plastics-related health burdens could double by 2040, reaching roughly 4.5 million life years annually.
The researchers attributed these impacts to the pollution coming from primary plastic production, including planet-warming gases, fine particulate air pollution, and toxic chemical releases.
“Often the blame is put on us as individual consumers of plastics to solve the…