Three commonly used chemicals have led to hundreds of thousands of deaths and cost the global economy an estimated $1.5 trillion per year, according to researchers.
The toxic chemicals prevalent in plastics and food-contact materials are linked to chronic diseases, lower IQ, and premature deaths, according to a study co-authored at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the University of Maryland, and the Minderdoo Foundation in Perth, Australia, reported FoodSafety Magazine.
The study used 2015 data as part of its estimate. The data was taken from 38 countries, with a combined population representing one-third of the world. The authors looked at exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE).
The authors say that eliminating exposure to BPA and DEHP in 2015 in the countries analyzed would have saved roughly 600,000 lives. Further, reducing PBDEs to safe levels in 2015 for women giving birth in countries that account for one-fifth of global births would have saved nearly 12 million lost IQ points, according to the study.
“We estimate that the economic benefit in 2015 of reductions in exposures to these chemicals is $1.5 trillion 2015 [purchasing power parity] dollars,” concluded the study.
Last year, The Dallas Express reported on the recall of the Bindle Bottle, the popular beverage container Oprah Winfrey promoted on her list of favorite things in 2018. The product was discovered to contain high levels of lead, and some tested positive for BPA in the powder coating, despite the website claiming the bottles were “100% BPA-free.”
It is estimated that the healthcare costs associated with plastic in the United States were more than $249 billion in 2018, roughly 1.22% of the country’s gross domestic product, according to a study published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. However, the U.S. has made strides, experiencing a 60% reduction in cardiovascular mortality attributable to BPA.
A 2022 study conducted in the Netherlands found microplastics in human blood for the first time. Some estimates say that each person consumes upwards of a credit card’s worth of microplastics every year.