Plastics and Packaging

Plastic bottle, food container, cling film and non-stick pan
Plastic bottles, food containers, cling film and non-stick coatings are the sources this category examines
Infographic: microplastics, phthalates, bisphenol A and PFAS
Microplastics, phthalates, bisphenol A and PFAS are the four groups this category covers
Micrograph-style image of microplastic fragments
Microplastics are fragments small enough to be seen only under a microscope

The Topics (4)

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Microplastics

Tiny plastic fragments now detected in blood, placenta and artery plaque, with emerging health associations and many open questions stated plainly.

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Phthalates

Plasticizers that soften vinyl and carry fragrances, found in more than 75% of urine samples for four metabolites in a US national survey (Silva 2004), and studied for effects on testosterone and male reproduction.

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BPA and Plastics

Bisphenols and other packaging chemicals that migrate into food and drink, studied as endocrine disruptors, including their look-alike replacements.

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PFAS

Thousands of near-indestructible fluorinated forever chemicals from non-stick, waterproof and grease-proof coatings, linked by studies to cancer, thyroid and liver effects.

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Plastics and what migrates out of them. The research here moves fast and the endocrine-disruption question is genuinely unsettled; the pages separate what has been measured in people from what has been shown in cells and rodents.

Connections