A review of available scientific evidence found that all well-studied chemicals used in plastics pose health risks, though researchers acknowledged some data gaps.
A peer-reviewed study and complementing umbrella review, published by the Australia-based philanthropy Minderoo Foundation in collaboration with the Joanna Briggs Institute at the University of Adelaide, found that each chemical group analyzed contains at least one substance with adverse human health effects.
“None of the plastic-associated chemicals examined can be considered safe, with multiple harmful health effects linked to each chemical class,” the umbrella review says.
Still, due to “significant gaps in the literature,” many questions remain on just how dangerous plastics are, the study’s authors wrote.
