Assessing the Levels of Awareness among European Citizens about the Direct and Indirect Impacts of Plastics on Human Health
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Theoretical Background
2.1. Plastic Production and the Environment
2.2. Raising Human Awareness about Plastic Contamination and Its Effects on the Environment and Health
3. Methodology
4. Results and Discussion
4.1. Demographic Information
4.2. Assessing Frequencies and Modalities of Plastic Consumption in Europe
4.3. Attitude toward Plastics Consumption
4.4. Availability of Information Regarding Plastics and Human Health
4.5. Awareness about Direct and Indirect Impacts of Plastic Lifecycle on Human Health
4.6. Recommendations Developed to Influence European Behavior towards Plastic Consumption to Protect Human Health
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Actions That Consumers Consider Taking to Reduce Plastic Consumption | % |
---|---|
Bringing their own bag to the supermarket | 95.1 |
Buying products with less or no packing | 87.8 |
Avoiding plastic cutlery when ordering takeaways or at catering events | 74.4 |
Refusing plastic straws at restaurants and bars | 73.1 |
Reducing the use of nondisposable plastic | 72.9 |
Using water purifiers (avoiding plastic bottles) | 69.4 |
Buying at package-free stores | 55.6 |
Source of Information | % |
---|---|
News | 73.0 |
Scholarly articles | 48.8 |
44.7 | |
Friend/relative/colleague | 44.9 |
Social media | 42.9 |
Other | 12.8 |
Never searched before | 1.3 |
Question | Not Aware | Somewhat Aware | Aware |
---|---|---|---|
Impacts of plastic production (starting at the oil wellheads) on human health | 22.1% | 41.2% | 36.7% |
Impacts of plastic production (refining and manufacturing) on human health | 11.0% | 37.0% | 52.0% |
Impacts of consumer use of plastics on human health | 6.7% | 33.7% | 59.6% |
Impacts of plastic waste disposal and management on human health | 6.9% | 33.9% | 59.2% |
Health Impact in % | Aware | Somewhat Aware | Not Aware |
---|---|---|---|
Cancer | 59.2 | 34.1 | 6.7 |
Respiratory problems | 48.2 | 38.9 | 12.9 |
Reproductive problems | 40.0 | 43.1 | 16.9 |
Chronic inflammation | 32.1 | 49.3 | 18.6 |
Cardiovascular disease | 28.9 | 48.3 | 22.8 |
Autoimmune disease | 25.9 | 45.1 | 29.1 |
Mental health effects | 22.5 | 44.9 | 32.6 |
Stroke | 20.5 | 46.5 | 33.0 |
Inflammatory bowel disease | 19.9 | 47.6 | 32.5 |
Rheumatoid arthritis | 18.0 | 42.6 | 39.4 |
Diabetes | 16.0 | 40.0 | 44.0 |
Responsibility in % | Government | Equal | Individual |
---|---|---|---|
Buying behavior | 16.0 (14.6 F/17.7 M) | 50.4 (78.6 F/72.8 M) | 33.6 (6.8 F/9.4 M) |
Awareness on plastics and health * | 44.4 (40.4 F/49.5 M) | 47.9 (58.8 F/48.4 M) | 7.7 (0.9 F/2.1 M) |
Reduce use and availability of plastics * | 44.9 (42.0 F/48.6 M) | 46.1 (56.3 F/47.5 M) | 9.1 (1.8 F/2.7 M) |
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Barbir, J.; Leal Filho, W.; Salvia, A.L.; Fendt, M.T.C.; Babaganov, R.; Albertini, M.C.; Bonoli, A.; Lackner, M.; Müller de Quevedo, D. Assessing the Levels of Awareness among European Citizens about the Direct and Indirect Impacts of Plastics on Human Health. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 3116. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18063116
Barbir J, Leal Filho W, Salvia AL, Fendt MTC, Babaganov R, Albertini MC, Bonoli A, Lackner M, Müller de Quevedo D. Assessing the Levels of Awareness among European Citizens about the Direct and Indirect Impacts of Plastics on Human Health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(6):3116. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18063116
Chicago/Turabian StyleBarbir, Jelena, Walter Leal Filho, Amanda Lange Salvia, Maren Theresa Christin Fendt, Rachel Babaganov, Maria Cristina Albertini, Alessandra Bonoli, Maximilian Lackner, and Daniela Müller de Quevedo. 2021. "Assessing the Levels of Awareness among European Citizens about the Direct and Indirect Impacts of Plastics on Human Health" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 6: 3116. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18063116