Considerations for Ensuring Protection of Human Health From Plastic Pollution in the Future Treaty

The document argues that plastic pollution constitutes a public health crisis, with adverse effects occurring across the entire life cycle of plastics. It proposes three options for the treaty's structure: an integrated approach, a standalone article on health, or a combination of both. The briefing details how specific articles of the treaty could be used to eliminate harmful chemicals, improve product design, and support vulnerable populations, such as informal waste workers and fence-line communities.

• Plastic pollution causes wide-ranging health impacts across its full life cycle, including neurotoxic, carcinogenic, immune- and endocrine-disrupting effects linked to hazardous chemicals like lead and cadmium.
• There is increasing evidence of nano- and micro-plastics accumulating in various human tissues and organs, including the brain, heart, lung, liver, kidney, colon, placenta, and spleen.
• Vulnerable populations are disproportionately affected by plastic pollution, specifically informal waste workers with low safety protections and fence-line communities located near production, conversion, or waste sites.
• The briefing proposes three structural options for the treaty: an integrated approach using existing provisions, a standalone dedicated article on health protection, or a hybrid of both.
• A dedicated health article could facilitate international cooperation in scientific research and the development of evidence-based policies to monitor and mitigate health impacts, particularly for vulnerable groups.
• Specific treaty articles could be leveraged to protect health: Article 3 for eliminating harmful chemicals, Article 5 for safety in product design, and Article 6 for reducing primary plastic polymer production.

APA

Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (2025). Considerations for Ensuring Protection of Human Health From Plastic Pollution in the Future Treaty. https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/Human-Health-Considerations-for-INC-5.2-TESS.pdf?dm=1754051686

Chicago

Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs. Considerations for Ensuring Protection of Human Health From Plastic Pollution in the Future Treaty. 2025. https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/Human-Health-Considerations-for-INC-5.2-TESS.pdf?dm=1754051686.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs |title=Considerations for Ensuring Protection of Human Health From Plastic Pollution in the Future Treaty |date=August 2025 |url=https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/Human-Health-Considerations-for-INC-5.2-TESS.pdf?dm=1754051686 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{forumontradeenvironmentthesdgs2025considerations, author = {{Forum on Trade, Environment, \& the SDGs}}, title = {{Considerations for Ensuring Protection of Human Health From Plastic Pollution in the Future Treaty}}, institution = {Forum on Trade, Environment, \& the SDGs}, year = {2025}, month = aug, url = {https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/Human-Health-Considerations-for-INC-5.2-TESS.pdf?dm=1754051686}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }