Researchers raise concerns over harmful household practice surging around the world: 'This will be a growing problem'

In many low-income areas around the world, a new behavior is alarming scientists and public health experts. With affordable fuel for cooking and warming homes becoming scant, many people are burning plastic instead — which poses a terrible threat to their health.

What's happening?

Phys.org recently shared a report on a new paper, from Curtin University and published in Nature Cities, that detailed the use of plastic as fuel. Researchers also called for steps to be taken at once to curb this dangerous behavior.

The study looked at communities across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where many low-income households are unable to afford cleaner energy or fuels such as electricity, gas, or even wood. 

What they can afford, though, is plastic — namely because heaping piles of plastic garbage are already pervasive where they live. 13% of Nigerian households, for example, said in a survey that they use garbage as a cooking fuel.

Why is burning plastic so harmful?

The immediate impact of burning plastic is that it poses several health threats, not only to the family using it for fuel but also for people in the vicinity. "Burning plastic releases harmful chemicals such as dioxins, furans and heavy metals into the air, which can have a range of health and welfare impacts such as lung diseases," lead researcher Bishal Bharadwaj explained.

And the more plastics that are burned, the more they permeate air, water, soil, and other areas of everyday life. Researchers found that in Indonesia, soil and food samples contained "dangerous toxin levels" that could be linked to the burning of plastic.

What's more concerning, though, is that despite the dangers, plastic consumption isn't shrinking — in fact, it's quite the opposite.

"This will be a growing problem," Bharadwaj said, "given global plastic consumption is expected to triple by 2060 and inequality will deepen with rapid, unmanaged urbanization in developing countries."

What's being done to curb this behavior?

Researchers acknowledged that there was no simple solution to the issue, especially for people living in poverty who don't have affordable alternatives to cook or keep warm.

"Many governments are not addressing the issue effectively because it's usually concentrated in areas such as slums, which are often neglected," professor Peta Ashworth said.

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"... Possible ways to address the problem include subsidies for cleaner fuels to make them affordable for poorer families, better waste management to prevent plastic from piling up in slum areas, education campaigns to inform communities about the dangers of burning plastic and alternative low-cost, innovative cooking solutions tailored to lower-income areas."

Even if you live in an area with affordable access to clean energy, you can do your part to limit your own plastic pollution in order to keep your own and other environments clean and free of toxins. Consider buying from circular brands rather than polluting ones, using plastic-free alternatives for everyday products, and buying items secondhand.

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