Reacción a "Plastic pollution is an underrecognized threat to health, according to The Lancet."

The article published in The Lancet reveals a silent reality: plastic—ubiquitous and indispensable in modern life—negatively impacts human health throughout its entire life cycle. Although scientific evidence is growing, the issue is rarely addressed comprehensively; only by considering production, use, disposal, and degradation together can we grasp the true extent of its consequences.

Far from reducing our dependence, plastic production continues to rise, extending decades of pollution and emissions whose health toll is becoming increasingly apparent. The problem we are facing is that these pollutants are atypical: their movement is slow and complex, making them difficult to study and requiring substantial research resources.

Data suggest that chronic exposure to micro- and nanoplastics—particularly to their additives—may be linked to an increase in certain cancers, the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and, more broadly, a global decline in quality of life. In light of this scenario, the article stresses the urgency of ambitious public policies, responsible industrial innovations, and decisive citizen actions aimed at reducing both production and exposure.

The article also highlights the creation of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Plastics, an annual indicator system that will track production, exposure, health impacts, and societal responses. I personally believe that parallel initiatives adopted by other governments and institutions would be essential to coordinate efforts and reverse a trajectory that is already compromising—or is at imminent risk of compromising—the health of future generations.