Scientists call for urgent action to reduce children’s plastic exposure

Childhood exposure to chemicals used to make plastic household items presents growing health risks that can extend long into adulthood, experts from NYU Langone Health report.  

This is the main conclusion after a review of hundreds of the latest studies on the topic, publishing online Sept. 21 in the journal The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.

The article is being released to coincide with a gathering of experts the same week in New York City to discuss the global impact of plastics on human health.

In their report, the authors outline decades of evidence that substances often added to industrial and household goods may contribute to disease and disability, particularly when they are encountered early in life. The review focuses on three classes of chemical — phthalates used to make plastic flexible, bisphenols, which provide rigidity, and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which help materials resist heat and repel water.

The results of the studies, which together assessed thousands of pregnant mothers, fetuses, and children, tied these toxins to a wide range of long-term health concerns, including heart disease, obesity, infertility, and asthma.

“Our findings point to plastic’s role in the early origins of many chronic diseases that reverberate into adolescence and adulthood,” said study lead author and pediatrician Leonardo Trasande, MD, MPP. “If we want kids to stay healthy and live longer, then we need to get serious about limiting the use of these materials,” added Trasande, the Jim G. Hendrick, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
 
The chemicals are found in a range of items, such as food packaging, cosmetics, and paper receipts, notes Trasande, who is also a professor in the Department of Population Health. Experts have found that as plastics are used, heated, or chemically treated, microplastic and nanoparticles are released and become ingested.

Chemicals used in plastic materials have been shown to prompt an overactive immune response (inflammation) throughout the body’s tissues as well as disrupt the function of hormones that influence many bodily processes. The substances are also believed to affect brain development, with numerous studies linking early-life exposure to IQ loss and neurodevelopmental issues such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The Lancet review also explored strategies to reduce the use of plastic and to help safeguard human health.  

“There are safe, simple steps that parents can take to limit their children’s plastic exposure without breaking the bank,” said Trasande, who serves as director of NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Division of Environmental Pediatrics and NYU Langone Health’s Center for the Investigation of Environmental Hazards.

Replacing plastic containers with glass or stainless steel, and avoiding microwaving and dishwashing plastic, have proved helpful, he says.

Trasande adds that by offering clear guidance, health care providers can empower parents to make informed decisions about the products they use and steer them toward safer options. He also suggests that clinicians partner with schools and community organizations to engage younger generations about the health risks of plastic exposure.  

At the policy level, the researchers call for stricter regulatory measures to reduce the use of nonessential plastic items, particularly in low-income communities with profound heath disparities.

Their review comes on the heels of the most recent round of negations for the United Nations’ Global Plastics Treaty, which took place in Geneva last month. The developing treaty represents an international effort to tackle plastic pollution, with more than 100 countries calling for legally binding caps on production.

According to Trasande, the findings in the article support the urgent need for a strong agreement to help protect not only the environment but human health as well.

He notes that while the economic value of the plastics industry is commonly raised as a barrier to enacting regulations, the resulting health care costs from exposure are enormous, with his research estimates reaching roughly $250 billion per year in the United States alone.

The Global Plastics Treaty will be part of the discussion during NYU Langone Health’s 2025 Plastics, Human Health, and Solutions Symposium. At the event, experts will discuss the latest research on the health impact of microplastics, recent policy developments, and the critical role of regulations in addressing this public health crisis.

Despite its health risks, plastic can play an essential role in pediatric medicine, such as its use in ventilators and feeding tubes for premature infants, nebulizers for children with asthma, and masks that help prevent the spread of infection. The findings, the researchers say, do not challenge the need for the material in health care but instead highlight the dangers of its unnecessary use elsewhere.

The symposium will be held at NYU Langone Health on Sept. 22. The event will also be live streamed on YouTube for registered attendees.

Funding for the study was provided by National Institutes of Health grants R01ES022972, R01ES029779, R01ES032214, R01ES034793, and P2CES033423. Further funding was provided by several Argentinian foundations as well as the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia.

Along with Trasande, Marina Olga Fernandez, PhD, at the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research in Buenos Aires, Argentina, serves as study senior author.

Another study co-investigator is Aleksandra Buha Đorđević, PhD, at the University of Belgrade in Serbia.

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About NYU Langone Health
NYU Langone Health is a fully integrated health system that consistently achieves the best patient outcomes through a rigorous focus on quality that has resulted in some of the lowest mortality rates in the nation. Vizient, Inc., has ranked NYU Langone No. 1 out of 118 comprehensive academic medical centers across the nation for four years in a row, and U.S. News & World Report recently ranked four of its clinical specialties number one in the nation. NYU Langone offers a comprehensive range of medical services with one high standard of care across seven inpatient locations, its Perlmutter Cancer Center, and more than 320 outpatient locations in the New York area and Florida. With $14.2 billion in revenue this year, the system also includes two tuition-free medical schools, in Manhattan and on Long Island, and a vast research enterprise.

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