5. Plastics and Fertility

Ben Addelman and Ziya Tong’s documentary Plastic People details the many health problems associated with plastic pollution and exposure. Alongside obesity, inflammatory responses and cancer, plastics potentially contribute to fertility issues due to chemicals leaching out of plastics.

This affects both men and women, and by 2045, a lot of couples may struggle to reproduce naturally, according to Dr Pete Myers. Even if couples lean towards IVF, plastics used during the process of artificial reproduction may interfere with the successful implantation and fertilisation of an egg. 

Dangers abound in a system designed to let the plastics experiment play out on people’s bodies and futures. Even if a foetus succeeds in getting going, there are further possible complications.

Plastics, having first been found in human placentas five years ago, were found in 62 placenta tissue samples in 2024 with concentrations higher than levels found in the human bloodstream. Plastic contamination in placentas has increased significantly over time, and is on track to rise in line with increasing exposure to microplastics.

Dr Antonio Ragusa describes the essential role of the placenta. A transitory organ that transports goods from the mother to the baby, including nutrients and, it seems, plastic, the placenta is a crucial catalyst for life. Ragusa and his team found polypropylene in placentas, which could have devastating impacts on a baby’s growth. 

Even once born, a mother’s milk is capable of transferring plastic to babies, and once microplastics get into the body there are unknown health risks. Microplastics come from nappies, bottles, clothes, wipes, baby food and the environment. 

With the future generation at stake, the terminal addiction of humanity to plastic has reached its crux. It’s time to reverse our complete reliance on plastic.

Read our next blog to find out more about Plastics and the Brain…