[ti:Report: Thousands More Chemicals in Plastics than Estimated]
[al:Science & Technology]
[ar:VOA]
[dt:2024-03-19]
[by:www.voase.cn]
[00:00.00]A recently released report from European scientists says there are 16,000 chemicals in plastic materials around the world.
[00:14.91]The report said not enough is known about the safety of all those chemicals.
[00:23.25]They estimate that about 25 percent of these chemicals are possibly harmful to human health or the environment.
[00:36.13]The Norwegian Research Council supported the creation of the report. 
[00:43.58]It was released as officials are negotiating a United Nations treaty on plastic pollution. 
[00:53.74]The U.N. estimates 400 million metric tons of plastic waste are produced every year.
[01:02.28]Jane Muncke helped write the report.
[01:07.05]She is with the Swiss nonprofit Food Packaging Forum.
[01:13.96]She said to deal with plastic pollution, people must look at the "full life cycle of plastics."
[01:23.82]Researchers fear chemicals from plastics can spread into water and food.
[01:30.97]Muncke said, "We're finding hundreds, if not thousands, of plastic chemicals in people now and some of them have been linked to adverse health outcomes."
[01:46.13]Activists say such effects include possible harm to the reproductive system and cardiovascular disease.
[01:58.28]Martin Wagner is the lead writer of the study.
[02:03.61]He is an environmental scientist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. 
[02:12.38]He said researchers find hundreds, if not thousands, of chemicals in everyday products when they look for them.
[02:24.00]Kimberly Wise White is with the American Chemistry Council, an industry group.
[02:33.03]She said the findings "ignore real-world exposures." 
[02:38.37]She added the findings "paint an incomplete picture" for policy makers and the public. 
[02:43.87]The plastics industry has said any worldwide treaty should support recycling and re-use of plastic.
[02:58.26]But the writers of the recent report said that only dealing with plastic waste does not go far enough.
[03:08.82]They said there is a need for more information on chemicals in plastics, including recycled products.
[03:19.71]About 25 percent of the chemicals found lacked information on their chemical identity, the report said.
[03:30.33]Wagner said the problem "is the chemical complexity of plastics."
[03:37.91]He is a leading member of the Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty.
[03:46.58]It is an organization of scientists and experts seeking to advise the plastics treaty process.
[03:56.50]Wagner said, "Often producers don't really know which kind of chemicals they have in their products and that comes from very complex value chains."
[04:11.28]Six percent of the chemicals found in plastics are regulated internationally.
[04:20.08]Wagner said that without regulations, there is no reason for companies to identify what is in the plastics.
[04:31.20]Last year, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) said there were around 13,000 chemicals in plastics.
[04:43.56]Negotiations will continue in Ottawa, Canada. 
[04:48.63]The aim is to finish a version of a treaty by December in the South Korean city of Busan.
[04:58.51]I'm Gregory Stachel.