Cancer and reduced fertility: consequences of chemical pollution

What if one of the greatest threats to our health and the planet is invisible, but present in our air, our food, and our water? Industrial chemicals that enter the environment make us sick and destroy ecosystems: In doing so, they cause far more damage than many people realize. Therefore, urgent action is required, this is the conclusion of a new report. The company "Deep Science Ventures" evaluated studies on toxic substances in the environment and interviewed experts on behalf of the non-profit Grantham Foundation. The result was an eight-page report that urgently warns of the consequences of chemical pollution.

Toxic substances often enter the environment undetected for long periods, the report states. Many chemicals have entered the market without sufficient risk data available, and are only discovered to be toxic after they have been in use for years and people have been exposed to them. Industry often prefers certain chemicals over others because they are cheap and easy to produce from refined petroleum. Substances that are safer but more expensive have a harder time gaining market acceptance.

According to the report, many chemical contaminants arise during food production: Pesticides and fertilizers pollute water and harm ecosystems, "just like the food we eat." One of the most dangerous fertilizers is sewage sludge from water treatment plants, which is spread on fields but contains many toxic chemicals.

According to the publication, 3,600 synthetic chemicals from food packaging have already been detected in the human body worldwide. The report lists the health effects associated with them, such as reduced fertility. "There is strong evidence that sperm counts are declining worldwide, and that synthetic chemicals to which we are exposed are reducing this number," it states.

A problem in this context are PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl compounds) – chemicals found in many everyday products and accumulating in the environment. The substances have "already contaminated the entire world" and are also found in drinking water. In men with high levels of certain PFAS in their blood, sperm count is halved.

Pesticides may have a similar impact on cancer rates as smoking—they have been linked to leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, bladder, colon, and liver cancer, the report authors write. When children are exposed to pesticides before birth, the risk of childhood leukemia and lymphoma increases by more than 50 percent.

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Phthalates, another large group of chemicals also known as plasticizers, can impair both childhood development and adult health, according to the report. For example, exposure to plasticizers can affect genital development and fertility in male babies. Adults exposed to higher concentrations of the plasticizer bisphenol A have a 49 percent higher risk of obesity. The report cites dementia, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases as other possible consequences of chemical pollution.

The report's authors call for stronger global controls on chemical substances that can enter the environment and the use of more modern testing methods before they are approved. Failure to regulate them will lead to "irreversible consequences for human health and the delicate balance of our planet's ecosystem."

The environmental and consumer protection organization Chemtrust emphasizes that the climate crisis and chemical pollution are interrelated, exacerbating each other, and together leading to biodiversity loss. "Research shows that climate change can make animals, plants, and ecosystems more vulnerable to chemical pollution. For organisms already severely affected by climate change, such as those in polar regions, exposure to toxic chemicals is an additional critical stressor affecting their chances of survival," Chemtrust states.

One example of this is the polar bear: Due to the retreating ice, polar bears find less food. However, animals weakened by hunger accumulate more chemical pollutants in their fatty tissue – impairing their metabolism. An unfavorable interplay is also evident in the oceans: For example, salinity and temperature are rising as a result of climate change. This can intensify the harmful effects of chemicals. Certain pesticides, for example, were 30 times more deadly to coho salmon in water with higher salinity than in water with lower salinity. Temperature increases could also cause pesticides or other environmental toxins to become even more toxic.

According to Chemtrust, glaciers and polar ice are storing the most dangerous chemical pollutants of the past century. "PFAS are flowing from the melting glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau, contaminating downstream lakes and streams, and mercury is escaping from the thawing permafrost," the environmentalists warn.

Some models predict up to a fourfold increase in banned persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Arctic waters due to ice melt caused by climate change. Higher temperatures and lower precipitation would also increase the volatilization of POPs and pesticides into the atmosphere, resulting in increased air pollution. Furthermore, more frequent and intense storms would lead to more frequent and more severe industrial chemical accidents.

For example, after Hurricane Ida devastated the US state of Louisiana in August 2021, over 350 oil and chemical spills were reported, contaminating the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River. At the same time, climate change may increase global pesticide use if there are more outbreaks of pests and diseases. And the increase in wildfires is releasing more firefighting chemicals into the environment. Conversely, the chemical industry also contributes "significantly directly to the climate crisis." According to Chemtrust, it uses the most fossil fuels of any industry and emits the third-largest amount of CO₂.

To "solve the crises currently facing the planet and humanity," Chemtrust writes, "action across all sectors is needed." The chemical sector has a key role to play and must "reduce both its own greenhouse gas emissions and chemicals that are harmful to the environment and human health." Regulators must "also act urgently to ensure that the most dangerous chemicals are phased out," Chemtrust states. "Otherwise, there is a risk that the impacts of climate change on people, animals, and plants will further worsen."