A recent study has revealed that plastics companies have systematically obstructed initiatives to tackle plastic pollution and may have violated multiple U.S. laws in the process.
Dharna Noor reports for The Guardian.
In short:
- The Center for International Environmental Law's report argues that plastics companies might be breaking public-nuisance, product-liability and consumer-protection laws in the United States.
- Cities like Baltimore have started legal actions against plastic manufacturers, with more cases expected as plastic waste challenges grow.
- Historical documents reveal that plastics producers were aware of environmental risks but continued to market their products aggressively, the report found.
Key quote:
“We’re in the midst of a population-scale human experiment on the impacts of multigenerational toxic exposures. Plastics are at the epicenter of that.”
— Carroll Muffett, president of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and co-author of the report.
Why this matters:
Plastic pollution has become a global crisis, with millions of tons of plastic waste entering our oceans each year, harming marine life and ecosystems. Microplastics are now pervasive in our food and water, posing potential health risks to humans. Efforts to address this issue are not just about environmental preservation but also about safeguarding public health.
