The Global Observatory on Pollution and Health at Boston College and an international team of researchers are launching a study of the hazards plastic products pose to global human health across the continuum of their production, use, and disposal, according to observatory director Professor of Biology Philip Landrigan, M.D.
The Global Observatory on Pollution and Health at Boston College and an international team of researchers are launching a study of the hazards plastic products pose to global human health across the continuum of their production, use, and disposal, according to observatory director Professor of Biology Philip Landrigan, M.D.
More than 400 million metric tons of plastic are produced annually—up from just 1.7 million metric tons produced in 1950—with the largest recent growth in single-use plastics. An estimated 10 to 12 million tons of plastic waste enter the oceans each year, said Landrigan. More than 100 million tons of plastic, mostly microscopic particles, coat the ocean floor.
“We expect this study will take a year to complete and we will be looking at the impacts of plastic on human health across the life cycle of plastic products,” said Landrigan, who also directs BC’s Programs for Global Public Health and the Common Good.
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