Plastics

Children who live in communities with open dumping and burning of plastic waste are exposed to toxic ash and hazardous air pollutants generated by plastic burning. Toxic chemicals from informal dumpsites can contaminate nearby water and food sources. Exposure to these toxicants via inhalation as well as ingestion and absorption through the skin has been associated with birth defects, cancer, respiratory disorders, eye damage and even death. Globally, there are over 20 million adult and child waste pickers, who collect approximately 60 per cent of all the plastic gathered for recycling globally. Children as young as 5 years of age and pregnant women are known to work in the sorting, dismantling and recycling of e-waste. Prenatal exposure to hazardous chemicals in e-waste recycling is linked to increased rates of stillbirth, preterm birth and lower birth weight.

Pollution from plastic production – from natural resource extraction to plastics manufacturing – includes the release of toxic petrochemicals that can reach nearby ‘fenceline’ communities. Studies have shown that families living near fossil fuel extraction sites in fenceline communities experience higher rates of childhood cancer, especially leukaemia, compared to those who live further away. Children’s unique vulnerabilities and child-specific behaviours mean that their bodies absorb more of the contaminants in the environment compared to adults. Plastic production is also a driver of climate change, which is one of the greatest concerns of today’s children and youth.

Children are affected when families’ livelihoods are impacted by plastic pollution. Examples include impacts on tourism, the marine sector and agriculture, although the scale of these impacts on children has not been sufficiently assessed. Plastic waste including bottles, nylon threads from the fishing industry, plastic bags, used diapers and sachets are commonly found in drainage systems and may aggravate flooding. Plastic waste such as discarded tyres provides breeding grounds for transmission of vector-borne diseases. Flooding damages important WASH infrastructure, contaminating food and water supplies. Children’s dependence on caregivers and their susceptibility to killer infectious diseases like malaria makes them uniquely vulnerable in these situations.

Certain chemicals in plastics are linked to cancer, birth defects, damage to organs and hormone disruption. Common children’s products contain hazardous plastic-associated chemicals – such as phthalates, bisphenols, PFAS, flame retardants, styrene, PVC, crumb tyre infill on playgrounds, and more. Yet, among many other findings, science has shown that bisphenols such as BPA are endocrine disruptors with neurotoxic effects, styrene is neurotoxic and classified as a possible human carcinogen and pregnant women’s blood levels of flame retardants like PBDEs have been linked to lower IQ in their children. Children are exposed to plastic chemicals through inhalation, ingestion, absorption via the skin, and in utero. Because children eat and drink more per unit of body weight than adults, have immature detoxification mechanisms, crawl on the ground, and frequently put objects and hands in their mouths, they are more susceptible to environmental contaminants than adults, especially during ‘windows of vulnerability’ when vital organs are forming.

The more than 16,000 chemicals potentially used and present in plastics are responsible for many of plastic’s known harms, of which approximately 3,600 chemicals of concern are not currently regulated under global policies. Thousands more have never been tested for toxicity. The absorption and potential health effects of exposure to plastics lacks comprehensive post-market monitoring. Numerous plastic products are marketed towards children and families, ranging from disposable diapers to plastic baby bottles, toys, food packaging and cosmetics. Further research and approaches based on the precautionary principle is needed to protect children from unknown harms from plastic production, use and waste. This includes avoiding regrettable substitution of a known hazardous plastic chemical for a material with similar or worse hazard properties (as has occurred with bisphenols, flame retardants and others).