The American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement saying that chemicals in plastic harm children’s hormones, growth and brain development.
“The impacts of plastic production and pollution on the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature loss and pollution are a catastrophe in the making,” the UN agency said, “with exposure to plastics harming human health...”
“Plastics contain and leach hazardous chemicals, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that threaten human health.”
School cafeterias are one of the US’s highest contributors to plastic waste. By one measure, schools in the US contribute to 3 billion pounds of lunchroom waste annually.
In the UK, polluting single use plastics will be banned beginning October 2023.
The impacts of plastic pollution start with how plastics are made. “The plastics industry is the fastest-growing source of industrial greenhouse gases in the world...”
Globally our food system contributes to at least 30% of all human-made greenhouse gas emissions.
