Plastics

Aiims doctor suggests you avoid these 3 dangerous common household items

While they may seem harmless, some everyday products can expose you to toxins and microplastics. An Aiims expert explains what to replace for a healthier life.

Microplastics are contaminating your food & water, here's how to fight back

Research shows people ingest thousands of microplastic particles each year. Health experts warn of rising risks of cancer, strokes, and hormone disruption

Plastic is now in your bones, and it's damaging them from the inside

New research shows microplastics infiltrate bone marrow, damage stem cells, and may contribute to rising global fracture and osteoporosis risk

Global plastic treaty talks collapse as hardline stances stall progress

During the most recent set of talks, the US aligned itself with this second group, saying it opposed any restrictions on business and commerce

Lancet launches project to track health impact ahead of plastics treaty

An international group of researchers and experts has launched an initiative aimed at tracking health impacts due to plastics, ahead of the final negotiations before the signing of the world's first treaty on regulating the chemical substances. Titled 'The Lancet Countdown on Health and Plastics', the launch accompanies the release of a 'Health Policy', which is published in 'The Lancet' journal and a review of currently available evidence on how plastics -- including microplastics and plastic chemicals -- affect human health. The team of experts, including members of the United Nations (UN)-established Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, have authored the 'Health Policy' document. The 'UN Global Plastics Treaty' is a legally binding document aimed to regulate plastics through their life cycle from production to consumption to disposal. The second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee -- titled 'INC 5.2' -- is scheduled for August 5 to 14, 20

Could your daily office chai be harming your hormones, making you sick?

Doctors warn that chai in polythene or substandard plastic cups may leach hormone-disrupting chemicals, raising cancer risk over time

Glass bottles may have more microplastics than plastic, shows French study

A French study challenges the belief that glass bottles are safer to drink from. It found that they contain up to 50 times more microplastics than plastic or metal bottles

Is plastic killing us? India tops heart deaths from toxic plastic use

A global study links common household plastics to over 100,000 heart-related deaths in India, revealing an urgent public health crisis hiding in plain sight

India-US BTA: Commerce ministry to begin talks with other departments

Interministerial talks to explore tariff cuts and market access; key sectors under focus include EVs, oil derivatives, plastics, and sensitive farm goods like dairy and almonds

Hindustan Unilever board okays acquiring 14.3% stake in Lucro Plastecycle

Lucro is a waste management, recycling, and product manufacturing company working to create a circular plastics economy

Why plastic flowers not included in list of banned items: HC asks Centre

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday sought to know why plastic flowers were not included in the list of single-use plastic items banned by the Union government. A division bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Bharati Dangre asked if the Centre thought that plastic flowers could be recycled, or are biodegradable. The HC was hearing a petition filed by the Growers' Flower Council of India (GFCI) seeking a direction to the Centre to prohibit the use of plastic flowers. "Is the Union government sure that plastic flowers can be recycled, or that they are biodegradable? They are so flimsy. Can they be recycled?" the court asked, referring to the Centre's affidavit stating that these flowers were not in the list of banned items. The bench referred to a notifications issued by the Union government which stated that single-use plastics which cannot be recycled, or are not biodegradable, are banned. "Are you sure plastic flowers cannot be included in this list?" the bench asked. T

Man-made products could be storing 8.4 bn tonnes of carbon: Study

About 8.4 billion tonnes of carbon is estimated to have been accumulated and stored in long-lasting products from around the world made by humans, such as plastics and buildings, between 1995 and 2019, according to a study. Researchers at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands said this 'fossil carbon' added to the 'technosphere' -- the sum of all human-made objects, both in use and discarded -- equals around 93 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions from around the world in 2019. They added that the carbon locked up in the 'technosphere' has a huge potential to add to greenhouse gas emissions. Increasing the lifetime of products and recycling rates are two ways to reduce the amount of fossil carbon entering waste streams, the researchers suggested. "Over these 25 years (1995-2019), 8.4 billion tons of fossil carbon have accumulated, with approximately 0.4 billion tons added each year, with a huge potential for further contribution to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions,"

Microplastics found in blood, linked to heart disease & stroke risks: Study

89% of participants test positive for microplastics; links to clotting and inflammation identified

No agreement yet on plastic pollution treaty; talks to resume in 2025

Negotiators working on a treaty to address the global crisis of plastic pollution for a week in South Korea won't reach an agreement and plan to resume the talks next year. They are at an impasse over whether the treaty should reduce the total plastic on Earth and put global, legally binding controls on toxic chemicals used to make plastics. The negotiations in Busan, South Korea, were supposed to be the fifth and final round to produce the first legally binding treaty on plastics pollution, including in the oceans, by the end of 2024. But with time running out early Monday, negotiators agreed to resume the talks next year. They don't yet have firm plans. More than 100 countries want the treaty to limit production as well as tackle cleanup and recycling, and many have said that is essential to address chemicals of concern. But for some plastic-producing and oil and gas countries, that crosses a red line. For any proposal to make it into the treaty, every nation must agree to it. So

Indian govt opposes regulating production of primary plastic polymers

India on Sunday said it did not support any measures to regulate the production of primary plastic polymers as it could impact the development rights of nations. This statement came as a global meeting in South Korea's Busan to finalise a legally binding treaty to combat plastic pollution ended without an agreement. At the closing plenary of the fifth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, tasked with drafting the treaty, India said some suggestions from countries, including its own, were not reflected in the draft text. It sought assurances from the chair that countries would have the opportunity to include their views in future discussions. India's lead negotiator, Naresh Pal Gangwar, said the treaty's scope should focus solely on addressing plastic pollution and avoid overlaps with other international agreements or bodies. He requested that this clarity be reinstated in the draft text. "India would like to state its inability to support any measures to regulat

Microplastic pollution is everywhere even in exhaled breath of dolphins

Tiny plastic pieces have spread all over the planet: on land, in the air and even in clouds

India should come up with bio-plastics policy with govt support: Report

India should come out with a national bio-plastics policy with fiscal incentives like capital subsidy as well as government support for research & development, according to a report. The report titled Incentivising Bioplastics, a Biopolymer' by EY and ASSOCHAM outlines a strategic vision for transforming India's bio-plastics industry through targeted government interventions and regulatory changes along with educational campaigns and leveraging India's agricultural strengths to enhance sustainability and environmental performance. To establish India as a premier hub for production of bio-plastics, the report calls for comprehensive National Bio-Plastics Policy in India. It suggested fiscal incentives like capital subsidies of up to 50 per cent on eligible capital investments over five years to encourage the development of bioplastics manufacturing and infrastructure. The report also called for regulatory framework mandating use of bio-plastics, implementing QCOs (quality control ..

Breaking our unyielding addiction to plastics is easier said than done

Efforts to standardise production processes to ease recycling will have more of an impact on the environment

Microplastics in all Indian salt, sugar brands: How much are you consuming?

A test carried out on 10 types of salt and five types of sugar, purchased from online and local markets in India, showed the presence of microplastics in all samples

UK trade body opens review into 13% import duty on PET plastics from India

The UK's Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has initiated a transition anti-subsidy review of a countervailing measure on imports of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics from India, to assess whether the nearly 13 per cent duties should continue to be applied. TRA, an independent arm's length body of the government's Department for Business and Trade, will consider whether the importation of the subsidised goods subject to review would be likely to continue or recur if the countervailing amount were no longer applied to those goods. It will also consider whether injury to the UK industry in the relevant goods would be likely to continue or recur if the countervailing amount were no longer applied to those goods. Countervailing measures are the UK's one of three trade policy tools to counter imports which are "causing or threatening injury" to domestic industry, the other two being anti-dumping and safeguard measures. Countervailing, or counteracting, measures address imported good