On Thursday February 23rd Common Seas delivered the Blood Type Plastic petition to No. 10 Downing Street. The petition, asking for the government to ringfence a £15 million National Plastic Health Impact Research Fund has now been signed by more than 100,000 people including some of you.
> It asks the Chancellor to fund research on plastic and health in The Budget on 15th March.
Each day we are exposed to plastic particles, which have been found widely in our food, drink, and the air we breathe. Our bodily exposure is set to increase as global production of plastic is on course to double by 2030, according to the UN – making this a public health risk that must be immediately investigated.
Common Seas’ found that found 4 in 5 of those tested had microplastics present in their blood, Common Seas have been campaigning for a £15 million Plastic Health Impact Research Fund to study the effects of microplastics on human health.
As part of this campaign, Common Seas launched a petition asking members of the public to show their support for the campaign ask, which has now received 100,000 signatures. This has also been supported by over 80 scientists, campaigners and MPs in an open letter published in The Independent.
- In 2022, Common Seas released research that 77% of those tested had plastic in their blood;
- Following the announcement, a petition was set up calling on the government to ringfence a £15 million Plastic Health Impact Research Fund;
- The petition had now been signed by more than 100,000 people;
- Plastic in human blood is a potential public health crisis that must be immediately addressed;
- Each day we’re all exposed to plastic, and the global production is on course to double by 2030 according to the UN, which will exacerbate associated risks; and
- Common Seas’ campaign has been backed by more than 80 scientists, campaigners and MPs, in an open letter published in The Independent.
Sustainable Cheshire 