WMA Resolution on Plastics and Health
Adopted by the 75th WMA General Assembly, Helsinki, Finland, October 2024
PREAMBLE
Plastic poses an ongoing challenge to human and planetary health, which will inevitably worsen unless coordinated global action is taken. Global production of plastics has grown to 400 million metric tons in 2022 and is projected to quadruple by 2050. In 2019, global plastics production released 1.8 billion tons of greenhouse gases and 22 million tons of plastic solids into the environment.
Plastics are used in all aspects of healthcare, and there has been a dramatic shift towards single-use items in recent decades.
Referring to the WMA Statement on Environmental Degradation and Sound Management of Chemicals, which also deals with plastic waste leading to environmental degradation and potentially harmful effects on health, it is important to consider the potential health impacts at every stage of the plastic life cycle.
RECOMMENDATION
The World Medical Association urges countries, and especially those present at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) , to commit to a just Plastic Treaty to end plastic pollution, address the impacts of plastics on human and planetary health and consider the role of plastic products in the health sector.