Toxic Chemical Pollution and Plastic Waste
Big Corporations Are Poisoning Our Environment and Us, But We Can Stop Them
When 38 train cars carrying vinyl chloride — a cancer-causing chemical used to make PVC, the world's third-most widely produced plastic — derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, 1.1 million pounds of hazardous chemicals were released into the local environment, with devastating consequences for the health of residents.
The East Palestine disaster pulled back the curtain on the dire problem of chemical pollution. Toxic industrial chemicals, largely from plastic (especially single-use plastics), are now so pervasive that most Americans are exposed to them at unsafe levels.
Of the more than 13,000 chemicals used in plastics, only a few have been adequately tested. Many commonly used chemicals are known to increase the risk of cancer, reproductive health problems, obesity, and other serious health concerns.
Our oceans, lakes, and rivers are now burdened with more than 200 million tons of plastic pollution. All of that plastic is killing birds, turtles, whales, and other species, and harming human health. Dangerous chemicals leach into our food directly from plastic packaging. We eat, drink, and inhale microplastics by the millions.
Under both the Trump and Biden administrations, the plastic industry’s footprint has continued to grow, even though the vast majority of American voters want to cut plastic pollution. During their administrations, petrochemical companies have invested hundreds of billions of dollars in new facilities to turn fracked natural gas liquids (NGLs) into plastics, which will dramatically expand the amount of plastic waste generated over the next several decades. Petrochemicals, primarily for plastics, are estimated to drive 45% of global oil demand growth by 2050.
As President, Kennedy will tackle this serious problem head on. He will:
- Support an ambitious international plastics treaty.
- Implement safety regulations and restrictions on hazardous chemicals to prevent accidents like the one in East Palestine.
- Promote a national bottle bill (also called a container deposit return law).
- Coordinate a national Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system so that corporate producers of plastic packaging remain responsible for their waste.
- Modernize recycling facilities and strengthen closed-loop recycling systems.
End subsidies for plastic producers. - End subsidies for plastic producers.
- Limit construction and expansion of plastic facilities.
- Hold fracking and petrochemical companies accountable for pollution.