Overview

• The review synthesizes hundreds of studies on phthalates, bisphenols and PFAS found in items such as food packaging, cosmetics and paper receipts, linking early exposure to lasting harm.
• Reported health effects include hormone disruption, IQ loss, reduced fertility, low birth weight, ADHD, obesity and cardiovascular disease across childhood and adulthood.
• Authors estimate about 349,000 annual cardiovascular deaths worldwide are associated with plastic exposure, with social costs of up to $2.6 trillion.
• The analysis warns that recycling is not automatically safer, noting higher contaminant levels in some recycled PET bottles due to cross‑contamination and calling for tighter controls.
• With UN treaty talks in Geneva stalled over production caps, researchers urge national measures, and Germany’s UBA flags insufficient data to quantify microplastic risk even as it deems overall concern warranted.