Introduction

Plastics are everywhere in our lives, used in packaging, furniture, electronics, and even personal care products. But hidden within many of these plastics are dangerous chemicals that can quietly harm our health over time. Plastic pollution is a pervasive human health threat, with women disproportionately affected in ways that extend far beyond the risks to reproductive health. These negative health implications are getting well-documented by scientists, while we are not exposed to these alarming studies. In this article, we will see how plastic pollution is contributing largely to diseases in women’s health due to the various chemicals of plastic production.

Toxic Sparks in our System

The study from the Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health, by a large number of scientists, has concluded many negative outcomes in human health due to plastic chemical pollution, including women's health.

Starting with such a group of chemicals is PBBs, or polybrominated biphenyls. These were once widely used as flame retardants, substances added to materials like plastic to prevent them from catching fire. PBBs were banned in many countries after scientists linked them to serious health problems. The study followed thousands of people who were accidentally exposed to high levels of PBBs through contaminated food. This long-term study showed that women with high PBB levels had a greater chance of developing breast cancer, lymphoma (a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system, which is part of the immune system), and digestive system cancers, such as colon or stomach cancer.

But even women who are not part of a major contamination event can still be harmed. Every day, low-level exposure to PBBs, like through plastic products or dust at home, has also been connected to health problems, which include:

• Papillary thyroid cancer: the most common type of thyroid cancer, which affects a small gland in the neck that controls metabolism.

• Type 2 diabetes: a chronic condition that affects how the body uses sugar.

• Deep infiltrating endometriosis: a severe form of a disease where tissue similar to the lining inside the uterus grows outside it, causing pain and often affecting fertility.

Benzophenones and benzothiazoles are other chemicals used to protect plastic products from breaking down in sunlight or from bacterial damage. However, they have been found to disrupt hormones in the bodies of women. Another common plastic additive is BHT, short for butylated hydroxytoluene, a synthetic antioxidant, which means it helps keep food and cosmetic products from going bad. BHT is found in everything from chips and cereal to lotions and lipsticks. Although it's allowed in small amounts, BHT has been discovered in the bodies of nearly every person tested. Women often have higher levels than men, possibly because they use more personal care products containing BHT (Landrigan PJ, 2023).

Conclusion

What makes all this more worrying is that these exposures are often unavoidable, and they are persistent, meaning they stay in the environment and our bodies for a long time. They can build up slowly from repeated contact with everyday objects: plastic packaging, household dust, beauty products, embedding themselves into our lives without us even knowing.

However, these implications of health can be reduced by taking small steps by individuals, especially women. Making small changes in daily habits can have a big impact. You can reduce your exposure to plastic by choosing products packaged in cardboard instead of plastic, wearing clothes made from natural fibers like cotton or wool, and drinking tap water instead of water from plastic bottles. These simple choices are practical and easy to adopt.

Ultimately, informing women about the health risks linked to plastic exposure is a matter of basic human rights. Too often, profit is prioritized over women’s well-being, making awareness and informed choices all the more essential.