Led by the Plastic Health Council, the letter defines the key elements of the ‘Health Scientists’ Global Plastic Treaty’ that scientists believe need to be included to address the science known of the impact of plastic chemicals and particles on health.

Plastic chemicals found in packaging are associated with endocrine disruption, fertility, heart disease and cancer. The letter argues that the current UN published ‘Zero Draft’ “falls short” and is not “strong enough to protect the health of future generations”.

The scientists agree that an impactful treaty should “reduce the production volumes of plastics”, “eradicate all but verifiably essential single-use plastic items”, “mandate proper testing of all chemicals in plastics” and “prohibit ‘the chimera of chemical recycling’ of plastic”.