Keynote, Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12)
Plastics – an overlooked source of widespread chemical contamination
Professor Sally Gaw University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Plastics from macro to micro are increasingly being recognised as ubiquitous environmental contaminants. While the adverse impacts of plastics due to their physical characteristics are becoming well characterised, the associated chemical hazards of these materials that are now integral to everyday life are less well understood. Plastics can contain residues from manufacturing including plastic monomers and toxic trace elements used as catalysts, as well as intentionally added additives. Plastic items can provide a direct pathway for potentially hazardous chemicals into environmental matrices as the plastic associated chemicals can leach during use thereby bypassing waste treatment facilities. People and wildlife may be directly exposed to hazardous chemical contaminants when plastic particles are ingested or inhaled. In this presentation I will discuss why re-thinking plastics and plastic additives will be critical to the delivery of Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.
© The Author(s), 2023
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