Protecting human health and the environment from toxic chemicals
Plastics are materials made of complex mixtures of chemicals, often including chemicals that are known to be hazardous to human health and to ecosystems at the global level.
This joint report of the Endocrine Society and IPEN provides the current best knowledge about the effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on human health. It discusses chemicals known to be hazardous to human health yet actively used in plastics, exposures, the problem of microplastics, and the issues surrounding alternative plastics.
Plastics are not just a pollution problem — they are a toxic threat to human health. From the moment of birth, people are exposed to harmful chemicals used in plastics, many of which have been linked to cancer, infertility, hormone disruption, and developmental disorders. These chemicals do not just stay in products — they contaminate our bodies, food, water, and air, and they are found across ecosystems, from marine wildlife to mountain soils even in the most remote areas.
This opinion piece by Lee Bell, IPEN Technical and Policy Advisor, appears as part of a policy debate in the May/June 2025 issue of the Environmental Law Institute's Environmental Forum.
Les jouets en plastique et en peluche font partie intégrante de la vie des enfants, apportant divertissement, éducation et bien-être. Cependant, la sécurité des jouets est une préoccupation majeure, car leur composition peut comporter des risques potentiels pour la santé des enfants. Ce rapport explore en profondeur le marché des jouets en Tunisie, en mettant l'accent sur plusieurs aspects cruciaux.
Les jouets en plastique et en peluche font partie intégrante de la vie des enfants, apportant divertissement, éducation et bien-être. Cependant, la sécurité des jouets est une préoccupation majeure, car leur composition peut comporter des risques potentiels pour la santé des enfants. Ce rapport explore en profondeur le marché des jouets en Tunisie, en mettant l'accent sur plusieurs aspects cruciaux.
The Plastics Treaty fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) talks ending in December 2024 resulted in a new proposed text from the Chair. The text will be a helpful starting point when the negotiations resume in 2025; however, while the text contains meaningful elements, including that the Treaty would allow for a reduction in plastic production, it will require significant revisions to ensure that the Treaty can meet its objective of protecting human health and the environment.
Under the Stockholm Convention, Parties are required to develop strategies to identify products, articles, stockpiles and wastes that contain persistent organic pollutants (POPs). But there are significant challenges for Parties to fulfil their convention obligations in relation to traceability of POPs, including to identify stockpiles, articles in use, and wastes that contain POPs.
