By Abdullahi Lukman
A new international study has found that high-ranking UN officials, Plastics Treaty delegates, and plastic waste workers in Kenya and Thailand are all exposed to hazardous plastic chemicals, including endocrine-disrupting phthalates, toxic flame retardants, and carcinogenic compounds.
Released during the Plastics Treaty INC-5.2 negotiations, the research shows that all study participants—regardless of profession or geography—were exposed to chemicals from six major groups of toxic plastic substance.
Plastic waste and recycling workers recorded significantly higher levels of exposure than office-based personnel and treaty delegates.
The study was conducted by IPEN members Centre for Environment, Justice and Development (CEJAD) in Kenya, Ecological Alert and Recovery – Thailand (EARTH), and Arnika in Czechia, with laboratory analysis by the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague.
Participants wore wristbands for five days to monitor chemical exposure, and the results showed widespread contamination.
Each participant was exposed to a mixture of substances including phthalates, bisphenols such as BPA, flame retardants (OPFRs), benzotriazole UV stabilisers, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a known group of cancer-causing chemicals.
In Thailand, each plastic waste worker was exposed to at least 21 of the chemicals tested, and in Kenya at least 30. Across all studies, 11 chemicals were found in every wristband.
Treaty delegates and high-level UN officials were also not spared, with each participant found to carry at least 26 different chemicals from all six toxic groups, and 16 chemicals detected across all delegate samples.
Griffins Ochieng, Executive Director of CEJAD, said the findings highlight the urgent need for global controls to protect communities and workers from toxic plastic chemicals. “We are all at risk from hazardous chemicals in everyday products,” he said.
“A Plastics Treaty must protect workers, children, and families.”
Penchom Saetang, Director of EARTH, emphasized that plastic workers face greater risks due to their proximity to plastic waste processing. “All workers deserve safe workplaces.
The treaty must address toxic chemical releases throughout the plastic life cycle,” she said.
IPEN science advisor and study lead Sara Brosché noted that many of these chemicals are not currently regulated by international conventions. “Plastics and their chemicals cross borders without control.
National policies alone cannot solve this crisis,” she said, urging treaty delegates to take scientific evidence seriously.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stated that plastics and their byproducts pose serious harm to both people and the environment, calling the treaty a unique opportunity to protect human rights and the planet.
Other officials, including delegates from Ecuador, Denmark, Mexico, and Trinidad and Tobago, echoed the need for a strong, legally binding agreement to limit plastic pollution and the spread of hazardous chemicals.
According to the World Health Organization, exposure to plastic-related chemicals like phthalates poses long-term risks to public health, particularly as many disrupt the body’s hormonal systems.
The WHO has called for urgent international protections through the Plastics Treaty.
Plastics are made from thousands of chemicals—mostly derived from fossil fuels—many of which are toxic, unregulated, or poorly understood.
These chemicals are released at every stage of the plastic life cycle, from production to disposal, including during recycling, undermining the circular economy and contaminating communities, ecosystems, and future generations.
