Silent Threat

Q: The Adventist Church shares comprehensive information on health but does not speak much on the negative health effects of global pollution, including environmental breakdown of plastic products. Should we be concerned about this issue?

A: Yes, and we are concerned! In 2002 the General Conference Health Ministries Department launched a health resource named CELEBRATIONS,® 1 which expands on the eight natural laws of health2 and includes a chapter on the importance of the environment. The global increase of plastic use has resulted in widespread environmental contamination, impacting our health negatively through breakdown products. These include microplastics, toxic additives, and damaging byproducts that pose real and potential risks to health by infiltrating ecosystems, food chains, and water supplies.

Microplastics, tiny plastic particles less than five millimeters in diameter, have been detected in oceans, rivers, soil, and air. They originate from plastic breakdown debris. Humans are exposed to microplastics through inhalation and contaminated food and water. Studies suggest that microplastics can cause inflammation and oxidative stress, and damage genetic information in cells, all of which are linked to cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative conditions. The ability of microplastics to absorb and concentrate toxic chemicals, including persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and heavy metals, increases their harmful effects when ingested.

Plastics contain additives, such as plasticizers (phthalates), flame retardants (polybrominated diphenyl ethers, PBDEs), and stabilizers (bisphenols). These additives can leach out of plastic products over time, especially when exposed to heat, sunlight, or mechanical stress. Humans are exposed through direct contact, ingestion of contaminated food and beverages, and inhalation of dust particles. Phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), for example, are known endocrine disruptors, interfering with hormone function and leading to reproductive issues, developmental problems in children, and increased risks of certain cancers. PBDEs may be associated with thyroid dysfunction, neurodevelopmental deficits, and impaired immune responses.

Ingested and inhaled plastic breakdown byproducts may contribute to systemic toxicity, including liver and kidney damage, respiratory issues, and disruptions in the endocrine system. Plastics and their breakdown products can become concentrated in living organisms (intake exceeds excretion) and increase in concentration (biomagnify) up the food chain. Fish and shellfish often ingest microplastics, mistaking them for food. Humans consuming contaminated marine products are at risk of ingesting accumulated toxins. This bioaccumulation may lead to higher concentrations of toxic substances in human tissues, resulting in chronic health problems such as immunotoxicity, infertility, and metabolic disorders.

Plastic pollution has also been found in drinking water sources worldwide. Microplastics and associated chemicals can infiltrate water supplies through surface runoff, wastewater discharge, and atmospheric deposition. These contaminants pose a direct health risk, particularly in regions lacking advanced water treatment facilities.

Environmental breakdown products of plastic represent a growing threat to human health globally. We know this broken planet will be made new when Jesus returns. We nevertheless have been appointed stewards of the earth and its rich resources that sustain life. The Bible states that in the end, God’s wrath will come and “destroy those who destroy the earth” (Rev. 11:18). We have a duty to educate our communities, recycle, and strive to secure safe water resources, sharing the love of Jesus, the true Water of Life!

1 Retrieved from https://www.healthministries.com/celebrations/.

2 Ellen G. White, “Natural Remedies,” The Ministry of Healing (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1905), p. 127.