Plastic, Climate & Human Health: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet

This testimony by Carroll Muffett, President & CEO of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), delivered to the House Subcommittee on the Environment on July 7, 2020, outlines the systemic risks that the plastic lifecycle poses to human health and the global climate. Muffett argues that plastic production, which is overwhelmingly derived from fossil fuels, creates toxic exposures at every stage—from extraction and refining to consumer use and waste management—and acts as a significant driver of greenhouse gas emissions.

• The entire lifecycle of plastics exposes humans to toxic risks, starting with the extraction of feedstocks. Over 99% of plastic is derived from fossil fuels, and the fracking process used to obtain these feedstocks involves more than 170 chemicals with known health impacts, including neurotoxicity, carcinogenicity, and reproductive and developmental toxicity.
• Plastic production and waste management facilities create severe health hazards for workers and nearby communities, particularly communities of color. Refining and resin production release carcinogenic substances that can cause leukemia, cancer, and nervous system impairment. Similarly, waste technologies like incineration and pyrolysis release acid gases and toxic metals such as mercury and lead into the air, water, and soil.
• Plastic pollution contaminates the food chain and human bodies through the ingestion and inhalation of microplastics and toxic additives. Research indicates that microplastics are accumulating in pristine regions and can be absorbed by plants in agricultural soils, moving into the edible portions of food crops.
• Plastic production is projected to be a primary driver of new oil production through 2050, significantly contributing to the climate crisis. The American Chemistry Council expects investments of over 200 billion dollars in more than 340 new or expanded facilities by 2025. CIEL estimates that the production, use, and disposal of plastics will generate over 56 gigatons of carbon emissions by 2050, representing 13% of the remaining carbon budget to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
• Environmental and health risks are exacerbated by regulatory rollbacks and climate-driven disasters. Muffett cites a toxic gas release at an LG Polymers plant in India that killed 13 people and the catastrophic release of toxins in Houston following Hurricane Harvey as examples of the dangers posed by petrochemical infrastructure in vulnerable areas.

APA

Muffett, C. (2020). Plastic, Climate & Human Health: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/C-Muffett-Prepared-Testimony-COR-Subcomm-on-Envt-July-7-2020-FINAL.pdf

Chicago

Muffett, Carroll. Plastic, Climate & Human Health: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet. Center for International Environmental Law, 2020. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/C-Muffett-Prepared-Testimony-COR-Subcomm-on-Envt-July-7-2020-FINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Muffett |first1=Carroll |title=Plastic, Climate & Human Health: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=7 July 2020 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/C-Muffett-Prepared-Testimony-COR-Subcomm-on-Envt-July-7-2020-FINAL.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{muffett2020plastic, author = {Muffett, Carroll}, title = {{Plastic, Climate \& Human Health: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2020}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/C-Muffett-Prepared-Testimony-COR-Subcomm-on-Envt-July-7-2020-FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }