Scientists have issued an urgent warning that some synthetic chemicals that underpin the current food system are leading to increased rates of cancer, neurodevelopmental disorders and infertility, while destroying the foundations of global agriculture.
The health burden from phthalates, bisphenols, pesticides and “forever chemicals” Pfas is up to $2.2 trillion a year – about the same as the profits of the world's 100 largest publicly traded companies, according to report published on Wednesday.
Much of the damage to ecosystems remains unassessed, they say, but even a narrow accounting of environmental impacts, including agricultural losses and water safety standards for Pfas and pesticides, imply additional costs of $640 billion. There are also potential implications for human demographics: the report concludes that if exposure to endocrine disruptors such as bisphenols and phthalates continues at current rates, the number of births could fall by 200 to 700 million between 2025 and 2100.
The report represents the work of dozens of scientists from organizations, including the Institute of Preventive HealthCenter for Environmental Health, Chemsec and various US and UK universities including the University of Sussex and Duke University. It was led by the core team of Systemiq, a company that invests in businesses aimed at achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
The authors said they focused on the four chemical types studied because “they are among the most common and best studied worldwide and have strong evidence of harm to human health and the environment.”
One of the team members, Philip Landrigan, a pediatrician and professor of global public health at Boston College, called the report a “wake-up call.” He said: “The world really needs to wake up and do something about chemical pollution. I would say the problem of chemical pollution is as serious as the problem of climate change.”
The impact of synthetic chemicals on humans and the ecosystem has increased dramatically since the end of World War II: chemical production has increased more than 200-fold since the 1950s, and there are now more than 350,000 synthetic chemicals on the global market.
Three years ago, researchers from the Stockholm Resilience Center (SRC) concluded that chemical pollution crossed the “planetary boundary”the point at which anthropogenic changes on Earth push it beyond the stable environment of the last 10,000 years, the period in which modern human civilization developed.
Unlike pharmaceuticals, there are few safeguards to test the safety of industrial chemicals before they are used, and little monitoring of their exposure once they are introduced. Some have been found to be catastrophically toxic to people, animals and ecosystems, so governments must take responsibility.
This report assesses the impact of four families of synthetic chemicals endemic to global food production. Phthalates and bisphenols are commonly used as plastic additives used in food packaging and disposable gloves used in food preparation.
Pesticides are at the heart of industrial agriculture: Large monoculture farms spray thousands of gallons of fertilizer on crops to kill weeds and insects, and many crops are treated after harvest to maintain their freshness.
Pfas are used in food contact materials such as greaseproof paper, popcorn boxes and ice cream cartons, but they also accumulate in the environment to the point that they enter food through air, soil and water contamination.
All are associated with harm, including endocrine (hormonal) system disorders, cancer, birth defects, intellectual disabilities and obesity.
Landrigan said that during his long career in pediatric health care, he has noticed changes in the conditions affecting children. “The number of illnesses and deaths caused by infectious diseases such as measles, scarlet fever and whooping cough has decreased significantly,” he said. “In contrast, there is an incredible increase in the incidence of noncommunicable diseases. And of course there is no single factor … but the evidence is very clear that increasing exposure to hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of industrial chemicals is a very important cause of disease in children.”
Landrigan said he is most concerned about “chemicals that damage children's developing brains and thus make them less intelligent, less creative, simply less able to contribute to society throughout their lives.”
“And the second class of chemicals that really worries me are endocrine disrupting chemicals,” he added. “A classic example would be bisphenol, which enters the body of people of all ages, damages the liver, alters cholesterol metabolism and leads to increased serum cholesterol, increased obesity, increased diabetes, and increased rates of heart disease and stroke.”
Asked whether the report might have gone beyond the groups of chemicals studied, Landridge said: “I would say this is just the tip of the iceberg. They are among a very small number of chemicals, perhaps 20 or 30 chemicals, for which we actually have reliable toxicological information.
“What scares the hell out of me is the thousands of chemicals we are all exposed to every day that we know nothing about. And until one of them leads to something obvious, like babies being born with missing limbs, we will continue to mindlessly expose ourselves to danger.”
