A new report by European scientists has revised the figures provided by the United Nations Environment Programme on chemicals in plastics. In the light of these studies, the additives in plastic products would not be 13,000 but 16,000.
This poses risks to human health and the environment, which is why the study emphasises the urgency of tackling plastic pollution that generates 400 million pieces of waste every year.
Chemicals easily migrate into water and food, raising safety and health concerns for consumers, and each product can contain hundreds to thousands of them.
In this regard, the industry argues that one should not only focus on the number of substances but also on the actual exposure.
In any case, the report emphasises the need for transparency about the chemicals in plastics.