Although the plastics industry maintains that its products are safe after many years of testing, there is evidence to the contrary. Richard Thompson, professor of Marine Biology in Plymouth University, and more than 60 of his peers contributed to a report in 2009, which aimed to present the first comprehensive review of the impact of plastics on the environment and human health, and offer possible solutions. As lead editor, Thompson said that “plastics are very long-lived products that could potentially have service over decades, and yet our main use of these lightweight, inexpensive materials are as single-use items that will go to the garbage dump within a year, where they’ll persist for centuries”. The report also listed out the potential dangers of single-plastics, including:

• Chemicals added to plastics are absorbed by human bodies. Some of these compounds have been found to alter hormones or have other potential human health effects.

• Plastic debris, laced with chemicals and often ingested by marine animals, can injure or poison wildlife.

• Floating plastic waste, which can survive for thousands of years in water, serves as mini transportation devices for invasive species, disrupting habitats.

• Plastic buried deep in landfills can leach harmful chemicals that spread into groundwater.

