A study conducted by ETH Zurich (a public research university in Switzerland) has shown that the impact of plastic on climate and health is greater than previously thought due to the increased use of coal.

Key findings of report

(1) Plastic production accounted for the 96% of the Particulate matter health footprint. Health Footprint is the amount of health resources that are consumed by a particular process or substance;

(2) Global carbon footprint of plastic has doubled since 1995, accounting for 4.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions;

(3) Developing countries like China, Indonesia and South Africa, were among the major producers of plastic and thus suffered from 75 percent of particulate matter-related health impacts;

(4) Study also showed that about half of this emission comes from coal used during the production of plastic;

(5) Fine particulate air pollution from plastic production caused approximately 2.2 million disability-adjusted life years (DALY). DALY is a measure of overall disease burden, expressed as the number of years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death.

Impact of plastic production on health

• Coal burned during plastic production produces particulate matter that accumulates in the air.
• Particulate pollution is a mixture of soot, smoke, and tiny particles formed in the atmosphere from sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and ammonia (NH3).
• It is highly harmful and can cause asthma, bronchitis and cardiovascular disease.

Source: EPIC December 2021