The human cost of inaction on chemical waste
Chemists must press the UN to act and set up a body to deal with the world’s toxic legacy
Exposure to harmful waste chemicals is killing people every day. The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health found that in 2019 diseases caused by pollution and mismanagement of waste were responsible for nearly 11 million premature deaths. That’s 16% of all global deaths.
The commission also found that deaths from environmental lead exposure (900,000) and occupational chemical exposure (870,000) were both higher than either malaria (643,000) or HIV (864,000). Total chemicals-related deaths (1.8 million) are many times greater than deaths from malnutrition, obesity, high-sodium diets and so many other societal issues and injustices – and do not include direct pollution, which accounts for another 9 million deaths.