Nations must take stronger action to protect health and combat childhood illnesses tied to exposure to hazardous chemicals, as highlighted by researchers. They urge governments to examine and regulate chemicals and their products with the same diligence currently applied to prescription medications.
According to a report from the New England Journal of Medicine by experts from the Consortium for Children’s Environmental Health, nations need to implement stringent testing and regulation of chemicals and chemical products, akin to the measures in place for prescription drugs. Failure to do so could lead to increasing rates of chronic illnesses in children.
It is estimated that global chemical inventories encompass about 350,000 products, which include various manufactured chemicals, mixtures, and plastics. Despite the serious risks posed by environmental pollution and human exposure, the production of synthetic chemicals and plastics is largely unregulated by effective legal or policy frameworks.
The authors of the report, including notable figures such as Boston College’s epidemiologist Philip Landrigan, MD; environmental law expert David Wirth; biologist Thomas Chiles; and epidemiologist Kurt Straif, emphasize that this regulatory gap needs to be filled with new laws that prioritize health over unrestrained chemical and plastic production.
The authors assert, “New legislation should ensure that chemicals are not deemed safe until proven otherwise. Chemicals and chemical products should only be allowed to enter the market if their manufacturers can demonstrate, through thorough, independent premarket safety tests, that they do not pose health risks at expected exposure levels.”
Moreover, they argue that chemical manufacturers and brands must monitor their products post-market, similar to how prescription drugs are tracked, to assess any potential long-term health impacts.
This appeal stems from a two-year investigation by a team of respected independent scientists from 17 prestigious scientific institutions in the U.S. and Europe. The report aims to promote a unified approach to address the rising rates of chronic diseases affecting children globally.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are currently the leading causes of illness and death among children, and their occurrence is escalating. Emerging studies reveal a connection between various NCDs in children and synthetic chemicals.
Over the last fifty years, there has been a significant rise in NCDs among children:
- Childhood cancer rates have surged by 35 percent
- Male reproductive birth defects have doubled
- One in six children now suffers from neurodevelopmental disorders, with autism spectrum diagnoses occurring in one in 36
- Pediatric asthma incidence has tripled
- The rate of pediatric obesity has nearly increased fourfold, contributing to a significant rise in type 2 diabetes among children and teens
- Certain chemicals have been associated with reduced IQ, leading to substantial economic repercussions
The majority of synthetic chemicals and related products derive from fossil fuels, such as gas, oil, and coal. Production has soared 50 times since 1950 and is expected to triple again by 2050, leading to widespread environmental pollution and human exposure.
Manufacturing synthetic chemicals and plastics faces minimal legal or regulatory restrictions. Unlike pharmaceuticals, these chemicals often enter the market without comprehensive prior evaluations of their health effects, and there is almost no surveillance for long-term adverse outcomes once they are introduced.
Less than 20 percent of these chemicals have undergone toxicity testing, with even fewer assessed for specific effects on infants and children. Disturbingly, new links between commonly used chemicals and child health issues are constantly being uncovered, and it is likely that additional, yet unidentified connections exist.
To shield children from the risks posed by chemicals, a significant overhaul of existing laws and the chemical industry is necessary, the authors conclude.
Ensuring children’s health against manufactured synthetic chemicals will necessitate a fundamental shift in chemical legislation, focusing on a more preventive approach and placing a higher priority on health protection over unchecked chemical and plastic production. Key proposals include:
- New regulations requiring safety and toxicity testing of chemicals before market entry
- Mandatory chemical footprinting, similar to carbon footprint assessments
- Development of safer alternatives to traditional chemicals, with reduced reliance on fossil carbon sources, alongside creating sustainable molecules and production methods
- Policy reforms to establish new legal frameworks for chemical management on a national basis and create an international chemicals treaty
Landrigan, who leads Boston College’s Observatory on Planetary Health, states, “Pollution caused by synthetic chemicals and plastics presents one of the greatest challenges facing our planet today. This issue is rapidly worsening. The unchecked rise in fossil carbon-based chemical production poses significant risks to the health of children globally and threatens our ability to reproduce as a species.”
