Plastics: Human Health, Milieu Pollution & Future

(Dr. Srinivas MBBS MD., Prof & Head, Dept. of Epidemiology, The Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical
University; Ms.Meenakshi Mohan, Dept. of Epidemiology, The Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University,
Chennai)

Plastics have transformed everyday life & has already displaced many traditional materials
made from wood, stone, horn and bone, leather, paper, metal, glass and ceramic thus
making things more cost-effective to humans. Plastics are most commonly derived from
petrochemicals. Due to the relatively low cost, ease of manufacture, versatility and
imperviousness to water, plastics are used to prepare an enormous range of product
including disposable single-use health care products that are functional and hygienic in the
field of medicine and public health. However, concerns about usage and disposal are
diverse and include accumulation of waste in landfills and in natural habitats, physical
problems for wildlife resulting from ingestion or entanglement in plastic, the leaching of
chemicals from plastic products and the potential for plastics to transfer chemicals to
wildlife and humans. 
Human health risks from plastics can stem from their monomeric building blocks (e.g.,
Bisphenol A), their additives (e.g., plasticizers) or from a combination of the two (e.g.,
antimicrobial polycarbonate). Bisphenol A (BPA), best known as the monomeric building
block of polycarbonate plastic mass comes into contact with food. The polymerization of
BPA leaves some unbound monomer molecules from beverage and food containers into
drink and food over time. The leaching process is accelerated by repeated washing of
containers and storing in the acidic or basic items that break down the polymer. As a result,
reusable water bottles, baby bottles, and the inner linings of food cans made using BPA are
known to leach the controversial monomer into food over time. The BPA mimics the
reproductive hormone 'estrogen'. As found in various studies, BPA has been associated
with a number of health problems including ovarian damage, decreased sperm production,
rapid puberty, rapid changes in the immune system, cardiovascular disorder, obesity,
breast cancer, prostate cancer, endometrial hyperplasia, recurrent miscarriages, sterility,
and polycystic ovarian syndrome. We have considerable knowledge about many of the
environmental hazards, and information on human health effects is growing, but many
concerns and uncertainties remain.