New Delhi, Jan 27 (NationPress) - A recent study reveals that emissions from the global plastics industry, including greenhouse gases, air-polluting particles, and toxic chemicals released primarily during plastics production, could potentially double health risks by 2040 if no significant changes are implemented. This alarming information was shared in a report published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal.

The research highlights health dangers at every stage of plastics' life cycle, from the extraction of fossil fuels—responsible for over 90% of plastics—to material production and eventual disposal or environmental release.

Utilizing a modeling approach, the study assessed various future scenarios for plastics consumption and waste management from 2016 to 2040.

In a ‘business as usual’ scenario, by 2040, the health impacts linked to plastics could see a twofold increase, with greenhouse gas emissions and escalating global temperatures contributing to 40% of health harms.

The study estimates that air pollution, mainly from plastics production processes, would account for 32%, while the release of toxic chemicals over the entire life cycle of plastics would contribute to 27% of the negative health effects.

The remaining health risks (less than 1%) are attributed to decreased water availability, effects on the ozone layer, and increased ionizing radiation, according to the researchers.

"We discovered that emissions throughout the life cycle of plastics contribute significantly to human health issues related to global warming, air pollution, toxicity-induced cancers, and non-communicable diseases, with the most severe impacts stemming from primary plastics production and open burning," stated Megan Deeney from the London School.

The model indicated that without alterations to policies, economics, infrastructure, materials, or consumer behavior, annual health impacts could escalate from 2.1 million healthy years of life lost in 2016 to 4.5 million healthy years lost by 2040.

Overall, the study posits that the global plastics system could lead to a loss of 83 million healthy years of population life between 2016 and 2040.

Furthermore, the study found that merely improving plastic waste collection and recycling would have minimal impact. However, when combined with material substitution or reuse, the health impacts associated with plastic emissions could see a decrease.

"To effectively mitigate plastic emissions and their health implications, policymakers need to enforce stricter regulations and significantly reduce the production of new plastics for non-essential uses," the research team emphasized.