The scale of the problem is staggering. More than eight billion tonnes of plastic waste now contaminate the planet. Tiny microplastics and nanoplastics, along with chemicals from plastic, are now being detected in the oceans, soil, the air, the food chain, and even inside the human body.
Monaco Scientific Centre has led numerous international research projects looking at how chemical pollutants and climate change affect marine life, especially corals, and has now joined forces with other experts to highlight the threat posed by plastics.
Building on a landmark 2003 study carried out with the Minderoo Foundation, Boston College and Heidelberg University, the CSM is a partner and co-author of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Plastics. Published in 2025 by leading medical journal The Lancet, the report delivers the first independent, worldwide assessment of how plastics impact human health, covering every stage from production to disposal.
The research team behind the report show that at every stage in their life cycle, plastics affect humans of all ages, with particularly severe impacts on vulnerable populations, including children. Exposure can lead to chronic illnesses and developmental disorders, while placing a significant financial burden on healthcare systems.
A new resource
Given the urgent nature of the situation, The Lancet has announced plans for an independent global system to monitor plastics’ impact on human health. Inspired by the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, the new mechanism will track scientific indicators on plastics production, exposure levels, health impacts, and risk reduction policies.
The aim is to ensure health is central to environmental policymaking and to provide governments and international organisations with access to reliable, comparable data. The findings will be published annually, to inform public policy and gauge the progress made.
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Monaco declares war on plastic
This initiative is in line with Monegasque national policy aimed at reducing plastic waste. Objective: Zero single-use plastic waste by 2030. Single-use plastic items such as bags, drinking straws and stirrers, cotton buds, disposable cups and utensils are now all banned in Monaco.
The Principality is also the home of the Beyond Plastic Med (BeMed) initiative launched in 2015. Created by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation in partnership with the Tara Ocean Foundation, Surfrider Foundation Europe and the Mava Foundation, it aims to promote innovative, socially responsible solutions and influence government policy and legislation to end plastic pollution in the Mediterranean.
Finally, the inaugural Monaco International Symposium on Human Health & the Ocean in a Changing World was convened in the Principality by Boston College, the CSM, and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, and culminated in the adoption of the Monaco Declaration, calling on “leaders in all countries and all citizens of Earth” to “advance human health and well-being by preventing ocean pollution.”
