PLASTIC FAQ

More than 1,200 marine species, including fish, turtles, dolphins, sharks, and whales, are impacted by plastic through ingestion or entanglement—both of which can sicken or even kill them. Filter feeders, like whales, ingest plastic floating at sea, while turtles often mistake floating bags for jellyfish. Plastic pollution doesn’t just impact marine species; we found 2,000 plastic bags inside the stomach of a camel in Dubai, far from the ocean. It’s been documented inside Asian elephants, black bears in Colorado, and migratory seabirds. Plastics pose additional threats to wildlife once they break down into microplastics, which can accumulate in food webs, translocate between cells and tissues of organisms, and affect marine and terrestrial biodiversity.

New research continues to shed light on the health concerns of microplastic pollution, with studies documenting plastic particles in our blood, heart, placenta, breast milk, and brain. While research on human health impacts are fairly new, it's well documented that microplastic ingestion causes harm to mice, fish, and other biota, including behavioral and physiological changes, oxidative stress, and reduced growth. In humans, studies have shown similar impacts such as oxidative stress and inflammatory response, and microplastics have also been linked to endocrine disruption, cardiovascular disease, and dementia. More research is ongoing, but at this point, we already know enough to act.

Plastics are a complex mixture of chemicals, not just inert materials. Over 16,000 chemicals have been identified as associated with plastics, and typically range from 0.001% to 50% additives by weight. These include plasticizers, flame retardants, UV stabilizers, colorants, and other processing aids, many of which are toxic, persistent, and bioaccumulative. Plastic additives are detected in the environment, food, and our bodies.

Critically, only a small fraction of these chemicals have been thoroughly assessed for toxicity, and even fewer have been regulated. Some are known or suspected carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, or mutagens — posing potential risks to human health and the environment throughout a plastic product's life cycle.

A study published in 2015 determined that 8 million metric tons entered our oceans in 2010, enough to cover every foot of coastline in the world. Most of the plastic came from heavily populated countries with poor waste management systems, such as China, Vietnam, Philippines, and Indonesia. However, the report failed to acknowledge that many developed nations, including the United States, Canada, and EU, export plastic waste to developing countries. China imported nearly half of America’s plastic waste in 2011, before enacting the “National Sword” policy that banned the import of most plastics. Afterward, the U.S. rerouted most shipments to other countries in the Global South, like Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia; plastic exports from the U.S. to Indonesia increased by 219%! In many of these countries, people, including children, become “waste pickers” sorting through rivers of plastic trash to find pieces to sell while polluted waterways transport the remainder straight out to sea. Plastic pollution is a social justice issue.

When we think about climate change, we typically focus on factories, coal, and cars, but 99% of plastic comes from fossil fuels. Plastic is intrinsically connected to climate change, and it pollutes at every stage of its life cycle, from materials extraction to product production to waste disposal. As we diversify our sources for fuel and energy, the fossil fuel industry is betting on plastics to continue expanding its petrochemicals business; plastic production is projected to triple by 2050. Typically built in or near low-income communities of color, plastic production facilities pose both environmental and social justice problems.

Statistics on the time it takes different plastic products to break down have never been verified. Charts that list the years it takes for certain items to break down are inaccurate, misleading, and should not be utilized. Degradation rates for plastics are environmentally dependent: A plastic bag stuck in a tree will shred in a month or two, but buried in mud it will last far longer. The bottom line is that plastics are generally not biodegradable and non-nutritive, so they last a long time in most environments. But there are mechanical, chemical, and photodegradation mechanisms that can break different plastics into micro- and nano-sized particles, and even break the polymer chains back into monomers. This is environmentally dependent and occurs on long time scales, allowing ample time for plastic to cause harm to wildlife and humans.