What is in Plastics?

Most plastics are made from oil. They can contain chemicals that may harm your health, such as phthalates, bisphenols, and vinyl chloride. Most plastics do not degrade in landfills or the environment. The creation of plastics contributes to the climate pollution that is causing global warming.

What can plastics do to you?

Chemicals in plastics have been linked to a range of health issues, including neurodevelopmental disorders, asthma, allergies, reproductive harm, endocrine disruption, and cancer. Plastics are also a global pollution problem, fouling our rivers, lakes, and oceans.

What you can do.

Over the last few years, plastics industry lobbyists have been promoting a decades-old incineration method as a new way to solve the plastic pollution crisis. They are calling the process “advanced recycling,” even though nothing gets recycled. The petrochemical lobby is currently trying to convince EPA that plastics incineration should not count as incineration. This would leave these plastics incinerators free to emit as much harmful air pollution and toxic ash as they wish, without any monitoring, reporting, or control technologies. We can’t allow this to happen. Join Moms in calling on EPA to protect our communities from pollution from these plastics incineration facilities.

Learn more about plastics by exploring our resources.

Support local, state, and national efforts to limit plastic pollution and eliminate toxic components of plastics. Tell the companies that produce, use, and sell these products what is in them and what happens after they are used—and why you care.