Other reports released at the same time, to tie in with the focus on human health under discussion at UNEA-2, examines issues such as plastics, lead
in paint and zoonotic diseases.
Marine Plastic Debris and Microplastics: Global Lessons and Research to Inspire Action and Guide Policy Change found that in 2014, global plastic production exceeded 311 million metric tonnes, a 4 per cent increase over 2013. Between 4.8 and 12.7 million tonnes ended up in the ocean as a result of inadequate solid waste management.
Microplastics are of particular concern.
One study estimated that, on average, every square kilometre of the world’s oceans has 63,320 microplastic particles floating at the surface. Marine organisms ‐ including zooplankton, invertebrates, fishes, seabirds and whales ‐ can be exposed to microplastics through direct ingestion of water and indirectly as predators in food webs. Potential adverse effects of microplastic ingestion include immunotoxicological responses, reproductive disruption, anomalous embryonic development, endocrine disruption, and altered gene
expression.
Gender and Plastic Management looked at the differing roles of men and women in plastic use and consumption, identifying women in wealthy regions as important stakeholders in reducing
plastics in basic consumer goods.
2016 Global Report on the Status of Legal Limits on Lead in Paint, meanwhile, found that efforts to tackle lead in paint are advancing. As of early 2016, 70 of 196 countries worldwide (36 per cent) had established legally binding limits on lead in paint. Most of the lead paint controls have established enforcement provisions to ensure compliance with their lead limits. However, only 17 countries required that paint be tested and
certified for lead content.
UNEP Frontiers found that there has been a worldwide increase in emerging zoonotic diseases, outbreaks of epidemic zoonoses, a rise
in foodborne zoonoses and a troubling persistence of neglected zoonotic diseases in poor countries.
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