As New York works to reduce plastic use, experts note avoiding it has numerous health benefits.
State lawmakers are considering a bill requiring manufacturers to reduce plastic packaging by 30% over 12 years, with the first reduction increment of 10% required by 2027. Data show microplastics and nanoplastics carry more than 16,000 chemicals.
Dr. Shanna Swan, a professor of environmental medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said these chemicals can alter a person’s hormones.
“They’re called endocrine disruptors or endocrine-disrupting chemicals,” she said. “For example, the class of chemicals called phthalates, which make plastics soft and flexible, have the ability to lower your testosterone level.”
She said this can impact reproductive health by lowering the chance of getting pregnant or influencing semen quality.
Polls show reducing plastic use is popular among most New Yorkers, and the state’s Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act has wide support.
While states are working to reduce plastic use, federal regulations are coming together at a slower pace. Both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services are further studying Americans’ exposure to plastic particles. Some experts feel there’s more than enough evidence to regulate plastics.
Swan said it’s an economic question as to whether regulations and laws go into effect.
“How is this going to happen? Who is going to take the burden of switching these chemicals? And we have to also remember, these chemicals are actually fossil fuel-based,” she said. “They’re made from the byproducts of fossil fuels.”
She added that there’s more money behind not making the switch away from plastics because of industry opposition. The New York bill faces similar challenges because the plastics industry claims it will cost taxpayers more money. However, other reports show passing the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act would save the state more than $1 billion in its first decade as a law.
Edwin is a reporter and producer in North Tonawanda, New York. He’s previously reported for the Niagara Gazette and the Ithaca Times. Edwin got an early start in radio interning for WBFO-88.7FM, NPR’s Buffalo affiliate. In 2018, he graduated from SUNY Buffalo State College with a B.A. in Journalism, and in 2022, graduated from Syracuse University with an M.S. in Communications.