Background
The potential impacts of plastics on health have become an issue of global concern due to risks and harms from plastics at each stage of their lifecycle. Many gaps remain in the current scientific knowledge of the health impacts of different types of plastics, chemicals and additives and their breakdown in the environment, however there is increasing public awareness and overwhelming consensus amongst all stakeholders that plastics do not belong in the environment and measures should be taken to mitigate exposure to microplastics and harmful chemicals released during plastics manufacture, use and disposal.
Plastics have an important role in health care and are used in packaging, personal protective equipment, syringes, and intravenous administration products to name a few. While it is essential to ensure affordable access to essential medicines and medical devices, considerations of reducing, reusing, repairing, recycling and proper disposal of plastics in healthcare are important for reducing plastic uses and harms.
UN mandate to address the problem
In March 2022, a historic resolution was adopted at the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution that addresses the full life cycle of plastic, including its production, design and disposal. Discussions are underway by the negotiating committee to develop the language of the treaty. The third session (INC-3) is scheduled from 13 to 19 November 2023. Near universal support has been expressed in the discussions for protection of human health to be one of the overall objectives of the proposed plastic treaty together with protection of the environment.
WHO is contributing to the INC as an observer and has provided input to inform the work of the next INC on the impact of chemicals, waste and pollution on human health (WHA76.17). WHO is holding a series of Health dialogues to provide Member States and other INC participants with the opportunity to discuss some of the linkages between health and plastics and how they could be best reflected in the plastics treaty.
Objectives of the Health Dialogue on Plastics in Health Care
- Increase the understanding of the role of plastics in health care, with a focus on health products.
- Facilitate discussions on how plastic use in healthcare can be made more sustainable.
- Review how the critical role of plastics in health care can be balanced with the need to protect health from the adverse impacts of plastics pollution.