The world is awash in tens of thousands of human-made chemicals. Some are crucial ingredients in things people can’t live without, from fertilizers to medicines to packaging.
But many chemicals – including some that are highly toxic – are woefully mismanaged, often allowed to escape into the environment where they wreak havoc on ecosystems and contribute to millions of human deaths every year.
This week, government officials, business leaders, scientists and others are coming together in Uruguay to find practical ways to reduce the toll that chemicals are taking on the planet. They’ll be participating in one of the first working meetings of the Global Framework on Chemicals, a landmark 2023 agreement designed to help the world better manage chemicals and waste. Experts say the framework is a vital tool for achieving global goals to protect health, stop biodiversity loss and cut pollution.
The meeting comes after countries recently agreed to establish a new Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution. The panel will help turn scientific findings into action, supporting the framework and other multilateral environmental agreements.
Amid the Global Framework on Chemicals gathering, here’s a closer look at what chemical pollution is, why it’s such a big problem, and how the framework can help.
How many human-made chemicals are out there?
The short answer: a lot. A landmark report from UNEP found that there were between 40,000 and 60,000 industrial chemicals used globally as of 2018. But a core group of 6,000 substances accounts for nearly all the chemicals humans use.
Are chemicals good or bad?
Chemicals are an important part of modern life, says Jacqueline Alvarez, the Chief of the Chemicals and Health Branch of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). They’re vital ingredients in fertilizers and medicines. They make electronics work and hold building materials together. They’re even in the clothes we wear.
The challenge is for companies and countries to find alternatives to harmful chemicals, and to safely use and dispose of chemicals when this is not possible. The aim should be to prevent leakage into the environment, where chemicals can interfere with natural processes and harm living things. “While harmful chemicals are often invisible to the naked eye, the consequences of their unsafe management are becoming impossible to ignore,” says Alvarez.
How widespread is chemical pollution and what does it do to the environment?
Chemical pollutants have been found everywhere – in air, in water, in soil. They’re even popping up in some of the furthest corners of the Earth, found a UNEP report, the Global Chemicals Outlook II. Researchers have discovered pesticides in Himalayan glaciers and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, 10,000 metres beneath the ocean’s surface.
This chemical pollution can have a devastating effect on ecosystems. Pesticides can wipe out pollinating insects. Phosphorus- and nitrogen-based fertilizers can create ocean “dead zones”. Some disinfectants can breed anti-microbial resistance. The release of synthetic estrogen can even “feminize” male fish, causing populations to collapse.
Many so-called chemicals of concern are also finding their way into humans, having been discovered in blood and breast milk.
What do chemicals do to humans?
It depends on the chemical. Some are harmless. Others are not. Lead, which is found in everything from cookware to cosmetics, can harm the heart and kidneys. Industrial chemicals, like arsenic, chromium and formaldehyde, can cause cancer and lung disease. Persistent organic pollutants, which crop up in pesticides and flame retardants, can trigger birth defects and raise the risk of cancer.
Experts say that this is just a sampling of the problems caused by poorly managed chemicals.
Does chemical pollution kill?
Yes, quite frequently. In 2019 alone, chemical pollution contributed to more than 2 million human deaths, according to the World Health Organization. Nearly half of those fatalities were from cardiovascular diseases linked to lead exposure.
Historically, how have chemicals been regulated?
There are several international treaties and voluntary agreements that govern chemical pollution. But experts say those accords have gaps and many haven’t been fully implemented. That’s why the Global Framework on Chemicals is so important.
What is the Global Framework on Chemicals?
It’s an agreement adopted in 2023 to improve how chemicals and waste are managed, with the ultimate goal of reducing the harm they cause to people and the planet. Unlike most international environmental agreements, which are between countries, the framework’s participants include governments, industry players, civil society groups, non-governmental organizations, academics and many others. Alvarez says the diversity of the stakeholders involved in the framework is a source of its strength. The framework is guided by five strategic objectives and 28 targets, covering everything from legislation and data transparency to innovation and capacity building.
Why is the Global Framework on Chemicals important?
It marks the first time the world has developed a comprehensive agreement for tackling chemicals and waste. It offers a pathway for countries to establish the systems, institutions and laws necessary to safely manage chemicals. It can also be a vehicle for improving chemical safety in a variety of industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, textiles, electronics and construction.
Importantly, UNEP’s Alvarez says the framework has cast a spotlight on the pollution crisis gripping the planet.
What’s next for the framework?
From 24 to 27 June, some 600 participants are gathering in Punta del Este, Uruguay, for the first meeting of what is formally known as the Open-Ended Working Group of the Global Framework on Chemicals. This is the body charged with translating the goals of the agreement into action. The talks will focus on strengthening national chemicals legislation and helping industries more safely manage chemicals, among other things.
In addition, the results of the first round of applications under the Global Framework on Chemicals Fund will be announced. The US$28 million financing vehicle provides grants for projects that support nations – especially low- and middle-income countries – to better manage chemicals.
Representatives will also discuss the use of chemicals in a variety of industries, including textiles, electronics and medicine. The meetings are hybrid and can be joined online from around the world.
Why is chemical pollution something the world needs to address now?
Because the hunger for chemicals is booming, especially in sectors like construction, agriculture, electronics, cosmetics, mining and textiles. The UNEP report found the value of the global chemicals sector could hit nearly US$10 trillion by 2030, double the total from 2017. That explosive growth has caused some to liken the industry to a runaway train in need of brakes.
“We can’t live without chemicals,” said UNEP’s Alvarez. “But with the industry growing rapidly, we must find ways to innovate away from harmful chemicals, and to manage the ones that are most harmful more safely and sustainably.”
Adopted in 2023 in Bonn, Germany, the Global Framework on Chemicals is a voluntary international framework designed to strengthen global action on the safe and sustainable management of chemicals and waste. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) hosts the framework’s secretariat.
