Experts Warn Plastic Pollution Costs Global Health $1.5 Trillion

Plastic pollution has emerged as a significant threat to global health, costing the world an estimated $1.5 trillion annually, according to a new report published in The Lancet medical journal. This alarming assessment, released on August 4, 2025, comes just ahead of international negotiations in Geneva aimed at establishing the world’s first treaty on plastic pollution.

The review, conducted by prominent health researchers and doctors, characterizes plastic as a “grave, growing and under-recognized danger” that leads to disease and death from infancy to old age. The report draws parallels between the health impacts of plastic pollution and those of air pollution and lead exposure, emphasizing that effective laws and policies could mitigate these effects.

Urgent Call for Action

Dr. Philip Landrigan, a leading researcher at Boston College, highlighted the most vulnerable populations, particularly children, who are disproportionately affected by plastic pollution. He stated, “It is incumbent on us to act in response.” In his call to delegates from nearly 180 nations meeting in Geneva, Landrigan urged them to seize the opportunity for meaningful international cooperation to combat this global crisis.

The report also brings attention to microplastics—tiny plastic fragments that have infiltrated ecosystems and human bodies alike. While the full extent of their health effects remains unclear, researchers have raised concerns about their potential dangers.

Rising Plastic Production and Environmental Impact

The volume of plastic produced globally has surged from 2 million tonnes in 1950 to 475 million tonnes in 2022, with projections indicating a potential tripling of this figure by 2060. Alarmingly, less than 10% of all plastic is currently recycled.

Dr. Landrigan pointed out that the ongoing plastic crisis is closely linked to the climate crisis, as plastic is derived from fossil fuels. He remarked, “There is no understating the magnitude of both the climate crisis and the plastic crisis. They are both causing disease, death, and disability today in tens of thousands of people, and these harms will become more severe in the years ahead as the planet continues to warm and plastic production continues to increase.”

The report also announces a new initiative aimed at tracking the health impacts of plastic pollution, as part of a series known as The Lancet Countdown. This effort seeks to raise awareness and provide critical data in the fight against plastic pollution and its detrimental effects on public health.

As the world gears up for negotiations in Geneva, the findings of this report underscore the urgent need for collective action to address the escalating crisis of plastic pollution and its implications for human health and the environment.