Truthout
plastics
![Crushed plastic bottles arranged like recycling symbol](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/08/2024_0829-recycle-400x300.jpg)
EPA Policy Rejects Plastic Industry’s Misleading Math on Recycled Products
Companies that want the EPA's stamp of approval can no longer use a method criticized by some as a greenwashing tactic.
![Director of the Marine Institute of Plymouth Professor Richard Thompson analyzes micro-plastics in a laboratory at the University of Plymouth, England, on February 27, 2023.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-1251038171-400x300.jpg)
Plastic Is Building Up in Our Brains — Scientists Say It’s a Global Emergency
A growing body of research shows microplastics reach nearly everywhere in the body, creating vast and unknown dangers.
![Members of Greenpeace Indonesia display plastic waste from British multinational hygiene and food giant Unilever's products as part of their "Return to Sender" action in front of Unilever's office in Tangerang, a suburb of Jakarta, on June 20, 2024.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2157812558-400x300.jpg)
Plastic Industry Is Selling False Promise of New Recycling Tech. Don’t Buy It.
Instead of cutting back production, the industry uses mathematical acrobatics to make recycling look like it's working.
![A sculpture titled Giant Plastic Tap by Canadian artist Benjamin Von Wong is displayed outside the fourth session of the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution in Ottawa, Canada, on April 23, 2024.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/05/2024_0510-plastic-400x300.jpg)
UN Conference on Plastic Pollution Crisis Dominated by Industry Reps
The negotiations for a plastics treaty appeared to lack rules on conflict of interest or transparency.
![A plastic bag drifts in the Botnia Gulf on May 3, 2023, near Pietarsaari.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/04/2024_0408-plastic-ice-400x300.jpg)
Plastic Waste on Ocean Floors Could Be 100 Times Amount Floating on Surface
Researchers found that up to 11 million tons of plastic are polluting the planet's ocean floors.
![Waste is found dumped at a marsh near the mouth of Neshaminy Creek to the Delaware river in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on February 6, 2019.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/04/2024_0401-PFAS-400x300.jpg)
Right-Wing Court Ruling Could Impede Regulation of “Forever Chemicals”
The judges said the EPA could not regulate Inhance's containers under Section 5 of the Toxic Substances Control Act.
![Plastic bottle bobbing up in ocean, our view partially submerged in darkness](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/03/2024_0311-plastic-400x300.jpg)
Study: Patients With Cardiovascular Disease Had Higher Rates of Microplastics
Those with high rates of microplastics in their arteries were 4.5 times more likely to have a heart-related incident.
![Plastic waste in water](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/03/2024_0305-plastics-400x300.jpg)
Study of Human Placenta Samples Found Microplastics in Every Single One of Them
The study detected between 6.5 to 790 micrograms of microplastics per gram of tissue.
![An illustration of a peach being inspected underneath a magnifying glass to reveal particles of red plastic bubbles embedded in its flesh](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/02/2024_0216-peaches-peaches-peaches-400x300.jpg)
Tiny Particles of Plastic Now Pollute Our Food, Water and Even the Clouds
From the deep ocean to the sky, microplastics are now everywhere, and fossil fuel firms are still ramping up production.
![Oil facilities are seen past neighborhoods in Port Arthur, Texas, on September 12, 2012.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/02/2024_0216-port-arthur-400x300.jpg)
Plastics Are Fossil Fuel Industry’s Plan B. Fenceline Communities Pay the Price.
Production is concentrated in poor communities and communities of color, and residents face elevated health threats.