Plastics pose threat to human health, report shows

据报道，塑料会对人类健康造成威胁

Plastics contain and leach hazardous chemicals, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that threaten human health. An authoritative new report, "Plastics, EDCs, and Health," from the Endocrine Society and the IPEN (International Pollutants Elimination Network), presents a summary of international research on the health impacts of EDCs and describes the alarming health effects of widespread contamination from EDCs in plastics.

塑料含有并可溶解出有害的化学物质，比如内分泌干扰激素（EDCs），一种会对人类健康造成威胁的化学物质。一篇由内分泌学会和IPEN（国际污染物消除联盟）推出的、新的权威性报道总结概括了针对内分泌干扰激素对人类健康影响的国际性研究，该研究报道描述了塑料当中的内分泌干扰激素所造成的广泛污染以及这种污染对人类健康所造成的惊人影响。

EDCs are chemicals that disturb the body's hormone systems and can cause cancer, diabetes, reproductive disorders, and neurological impairments of developing fetuses and children. The report describes a wealth of evidence supporting direct cause-and-effect links between the toxic chemical additives in plastics and specific health impacts to the endocrine system.

内分泌干扰激素是一种化学物质，该化学物质会扰乱人体的激素系统，能够引发癌症、糖尿病、生殖紊乱并会破坏发育中的胎儿和儿童的神经系统。报道罗列了大量证据，这些证据都表明塑料中有毒的化学添加剂和内分泌系统特定的健康问题之间所存在着直接的因果关系。

Conservative estimates point to more than a thousand manufactured chemicals in use today that are EDCs. Known EDCs that leach from plastics and threaten health include bisphenol A and related chemicals, flame retardants, phthalates, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), dioxins, UV-stabilizers, and toxic metals such as lead and cadmium. Plastic containing EDCs is used extensively in packaging, construction, flooring, food production and packaging, cookware, health care, children's toys, leisure goods, furniture, home electronics, textiles, automobiles and cosmetics.

根据保守的估计，目前所使用的超过一千种所生产的化学物质都属于内分泌干扰激素。已知的可以从塑料制品中溶解并会对健康造成威胁的内分泌干扰激素包括双酚A和相关化学物质、阻燃剂、邻苯二甲酸盐、全氟及多氟类化合物（PFAS）、二噁英、紫外线稳定剂以及有毒的金属，比如铅和镉，含有内分泌干扰激素的塑料被广泛应用于包装、建筑、地板铺设材料、食品生产和包装、厨具、健康护理、儿童玩具、休闲物品、家具、居家电子产品、纺织品、汽车和化妆品中。

Key findings in the report include:

报告中包括以下重大发现：

One hundred and forty four chemicals or chemical groups known to be hazardous to human health are actively used in plastics for functions varying from antimicrobial activity to colorants, flame retardants, solvents, UV-stabilizers, and plasticizers.

144种已知的、对人类健康有害的化学物质或化学基被用于塑料制品中以实现各种功能，比如抗菌性、着色剂、阻燃剂、溶剂、紫外线稳定剂和塑化剂。

Exposure can occur during the entire life span of plastic products, from the manufacturing process to consumer contact, recycling, to waste management and disposal.

有害物质的暴露会在塑料产品的整个一生中出现，从生产到消费者接触，再到循环使用和废弃物管理和处理。

EDC exposure is a universal problem. Testing of human samples consistently shows nearly all people have EDCs in their bodies.

内分泌干扰激素暴露是一个全球性的问题。对人类样本进行检测的结果始终表明，几乎所有人的体内都存在内分泌干扰激素。

Microplastics contain chemical additives, which can leach out of the microplastic and expose the population. They can also bind and accumulate toxic chemicals from the surrounding environment, such as seawater and sediment, functioning as carriers for toxic compounds.

微塑料含有化学添加物，该添加物从微塑料中溶解出并接触到人类。它们还会与周围环境，比如海水和沉淀物中的有毒化学物质缠绕在一起并使其不断累积，如同有毒化合物的载体一般。

Bioplastics/biodegradable plastics, promoted as more ecological than plastics, contain similar chemical additives as conventional plastics and also have endocrine-disrupting effects.

被认为比塑料更加环保的环保塑料/环保可降解塑料同样含有类似的化学添加剂并且也会对内分泌起到干扰作用。

"Many of the plastics we use every day at home and work are exposing us to a harmful cocktail of endocrine-disrupting chemicals," said the report's lead author, Jodi Flaws, Ph.D., of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Urbana, Ill. "Definitive action is needed on a global level to protect human health and our environment from these threats."

报告的首席作者Jodi Flaws，厄本那伊利诺斯大学香槟分校的博士表示：“我们每天在家中以及在工作中所使用的许多塑料都会使我们接触到有害的内分泌干扰化学物。全球都需要采取具体的举措来保护人类的健康和环境免受这一威胁。”

The Swiss Ambassador for the Environment, Franz Xavier Perrez, commented, "'Plastics, EDCs, and Health,' synthesizes the science on EDCs and plastics. It is our collective responsibility to enact public policies to address the clear evidence that EDC in plastics are hazards threatening public health and our future."

瑞典环境大使Franz Xavier Perrez评价说：“《塑料、内分泌干扰激素和健康》科普了什么是内分泌干扰激素和塑料。制定公共政策以使塑料中的内分泌干扰素不再威胁大众健康和我们的未来是我们所有人共同的责任。”

In May, the Swiss Government submitted a proposal to the Stockholm Convention to list the first ultra-violet (UV) stabilizer, plastic additive UV-328, for listing under the Stockholm Convention. UV stabilizers are a common additive to plastics and are a subset of EDCs described in this report. The Stockholm Convention is the definitive global instrument for assessing, identifying, and controlling the most hazardous chemical substances on the planet.

5月，瑞典政府向斯德哥尔摩公约发出提议并将首个紫外线稳定剂，塑料添加剂UV-328列为塑料产品禁用物质。紫外线稳定剂是一种塑料产品中常见的添加剂，它是本片报告中所介绍的内分泌干扰激素的一个子分类。斯德哥尔摩公约是一个权威的全球性工具，其专门来评估、发现并控制地球上最有害的化学物质。

The need for effective public policy to protect public health from EDCs in plastics is all the more urgent given the industry's dramatic growth projections. Pamela Miller, IPEN Co-Chair, commented, "This report clarifies that the current acceleration of plastic production, projected to increase by 30-36% in the next six years, will greatly exacerbate EDC exposures and rising global rates of endocrine diseases. Global policies to reduce and eliminate EDCs from plastic and reduce exposures from plastic recycling, plastic waste, and incineration are imperative. EDCs in plastics are an international health issue that is felt acutely in the global south where toxic plastic waste shipments from wealthier countries inundate communities."

鉴于塑料行业未来惊人的增长速度预测，制定有效的公共政策以保护公众健康免受塑料制品中的内分泌干扰激素的危害则显得更加迫切。IPEN联合主席Pamela Miller表示：“该报告清晰地阐述了在未来6年的时间里，当前塑料制品的生产速度预计将增加30-36%，这将使内分泌干扰激素暴露更加恶化并导致全球内分泌疾病患病率上升。全球减少并消除塑料制品中的内分泌干扰激素，同时减少塑料循环使用、塑料垃圾和焚烧所导致的暴露的政策势在必行。塑料制品中的内分泌干扰激素是一个国际性的健康问题，对此世界的南部地区对此有切肤之痛。在那里，从富裕国家运来的有毒塑料废弃物让当地人们不堪重负。”

"Endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure is not only a global problem today, but it poses a serious threat to future generations," said co-author Pauliina Damdimopoulou, Ph.D., of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. "When a pregnant woman is exposed, EDCs can affect the health of her child and eventual grandchildren. Animal studies show EDCs can cause DNA modifications that have repercussions across multiple generations."

报告联合作者Pauliina Damdimopoulou，瑞典斯德哥尔摩卡罗林斯卡医学院的博士表示：“内分泌干扰化学暴露不仅是全球性的问题，其也对我们的后代造成了严重的威胁。当一位孕期女性接触到内分泌干扰激素后，肚子里面的孩子的健康会受到影响，甚至孩子的孩子也会受到影响。动物研究表明，内分泌干扰激素会引起DNA变异并该影响会延绵未来数代人。”


来源：科学日报    编辑&翻译：译锐翻译团队