Scientists from the Norwegian Institute of Science and Technology (NTNU) studied the composition of plastic in detail. They found that polymer products contain more than 16 thousand chemical components, about a quarter of which may pose a threat to human health and the environment. The report was published on: Web site research project PlastChem.
According to the report, at least 4,200 plastic chemicals (about 26%) pose health and/or environmental risks.
400 chemicals of interest to researchers have been found in all types of plastic, including plastic food packaging. Scientists emphasized that any plastic can release dangerous chemicals.
The researchers recommend better regulating the use of problematic substances in plastics, creating transparency about what chemicals are used in plastic production, and simplifying the composition of polymers so they don’t contain too many different ingredients.
“We can only solve the plastic problem if we take into account the chemicals found in plastic and handle them responsibly,” said NTNU Professor Martin Wagner, author of the report.
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