CAP CALLS FOR GLOBAL PLASTIC TREATY PROVISIONS TO BE BOLSTERED

GEORGE TOWN, April 18 (Bernama) --The Penang Consumers Association (CAP) is calling on international stakeholders involved in upcoming negotiations on a global treaty to end plastic pollution to bolster the agreement's provisions to curb the ongoing plastic waste pollution crisis.

Its president Mohideen Abdul Kader said CAP also hopes this can be voiced by the Malaysian delegation participating in the negotiations in Ottawa, Canada at the end of this month.

This call comes in response to concerns raised by the results of tests conducted on plastic pallet samples collected from 13 countries, including Malaysia, he said.

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He said these tests revealed the presence of nearly 500 chemical compounds in the pallets, with two samples from Malaysia found to contain over 200 hazardous chemicals harmful to both human health and the environment.

“As a member of the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), CAP has submitted two plastic pallet samples for analysis by a team of scientists in Sweden, Germany and Denmark. The analysis revealed 107 chemicals in the first sample and 111 in the second,” Mohideen told a press conference at the CAP office here today.

Furthermore, he said out of the 30 chemicals detected at high concentrations, half of them are derived from the production stages of various types of plastics and bioactive materials, including pesticides like chlorpyrifos and pharmaceuticals, in addition to three Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Mohideen also said that during previous discussions on the Global Plastic Treaty, some nations had advocated for an approach centred on plastic recycling to address the plastic crisis.

“The presence of chemicals in recycled plastics may expose us to cancer, heart diseases, reproductive disorders, diabetes, obesity and other serious health issues,” he cautioned.

Therefore, Mohideen emphasised the urgent need for an effective Global Plastic Treaty to tackle the threats posed by plastic chemicals to public health and the environment, stressing the importance of including measures to control plastic production.

-- BERNAMA