A new study reveals a dramatic rise in noncommunicable diseases among children over the past 50 years, largely driven by synthetic chemicals and plastics. Researchers labeled the findings a “call to arms” and urged immediate global reforms in chemical regulations to safeguard children’s health.
The data points to disturbing trends. Childhood cancer has increased by 35%, autism diagnoses are now made in 1 of every 36 children, and asthma cases have tripled. Childhood obesity has quadrupled, and reproductive birth defects in boys have doubled.
These increases come alongside a staggering rise in synthetic chemical production, which has grown 50-fold since 1950 and continues to expand by 3% annually. By 2050, this output will triple.
Dr. Philip Landrigan, director of Boston College’s Global Observatory on Planetary Health, warns that even small toxic chemical exposures during pregnancy can harm a child’s health. He highlights that timing matters as much as the dose and warns these chemicals remain dangerous after birth.
Meeting this crisis will demand significant commitments from governments as well as producers. The researchers argue that existing institutions can implement many needed changes. However, greater accountability and stricter enforcement of chemical laws are essential.
As the production of synthetic chemicals continues to rise, the race against time to save children’s health also gathers speed. Reducing exposure to hazardous substances needs to become a global priority to protect generations to come.
Reference- New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Institute for Preventive Health, The Guardian