This is the main conclusion after a review of hundreds of the latest studies on the topic, publishing online Sept. 21 in the journal The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.

The article is being released to coincide with a gathering of experts the same week in New York City to discuss the global impact of plastics on human health.

In their report, the authors outline decades of evidence that substances often added to industrial and household goods may contribute to disease and disability, particularly when they are encountered early in life. The review focuses on three classes of chemical -- phthalates used to make plastic flexible, bisphenols, which provide rigidity, and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which help materials resist heat and repel water.

The results of the studies, which together assessed thousands of pregnant mothers, fetuses, and children, tied these toxins to a wide range of long-term health concerns, including heart disease, obesity, infertility, and asthma.

"Our findings point to plastic's role in the early origins of many chronic diseases that reverberate into adolescence and adulthood," said study lead author and pediatrician Leonardo Trasande, MD, MPP. "If we want kids to stay healthy and live longer, then we need to get serious about limiting the use of these materials," added Trasande, the Jim G. Hendrick, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

The chemicals are found in a range of items, such as food packaging, cosmetics, and paper receipts, notes Trasande, who is also a professor in the Department of Population Health. Experts have found that as plastics are used, heated, or chemically treated, microplastic and nanoparticles are released and become ingested.

Chemicals used in plastic materials have been shown to prompt an overactive immune response (inflammation) throughout the body's tissues as well as disrupt the function of hormones that influence many bodily processes. The substances are also believed to affect brain development, with numerous studies linking early-life exposure to IQ loss and neurodevelopmental issues such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The Lancet review also explored strategies to reduce the use of plastic and to help safeguard human health.

"There are safe, simple steps that parents can take to limit their children's plastic exposure without breaking the bank," said Trasande, who serves as director of NYU Grossman School of Medicine's Division of Environmental Pediatrics and NYU Langone Health's Center for the Investigation of Environmental Hazards.

Replacing plastic containers with glass or stainless steel, and avoiding microwaving and dishwashing plastic, have proved helpful, he says.

Trasande adds that by offering clear guidance, health care providers can empower parents to make informed decisions about the products they use and steer them toward safer options. He also suggests that clinicians partner with schools and community organizations to engage younger generations about the health risks of plastic exposure.

At the policy level, the researchers call for stricter regulatory measures to reduce the use of nonessential plastic items, particularly in low-income communities with profound heath disparities.

Their review comes on the heels of the most recent round of negations for the United Nations' Global Plastics Treaty, which took place in Geneva last month. The developing treaty represents an international effort to tackle plastic pollution, with more than 100 countries calling for legally binding caps on production.

According to Trasande, the findings in the article support the urgent need for a strong agreement to help protect not only the environment but human health as well.

He notes that while the economic value of the plastics industry is commonly raised as a barrier to enacting regulations, the resulting health care costs from exposure are enormous, with his research estimates reaching roughly $250 billion per year in the United States alone.

The Global Plastics Treaty will be part of the discussion during NYU Langone Health's 2025 Plastics, Human Health, and Solutions Symposium. At the event, experts will discuss the latest research on the health impact of microplastics, recent policy developments, and the critical role of regulations in addressing this public health crisis.

Despite its health risks, plastic can play an essential role in pediatric medicine, such as its use in ventilators and feeding tubes for premature infants, nebulizers for children with asthma, and masks that help prevent the spread of infection. The findings, the researchers say, do not challenge the need for the material in health care but instead highlight the dangers of its unnecessary use elsewhere.

The symposium will be held at NYU Langone Health on Sept. 22. The event will also be live streamed on YouTube for registered attendees.

Funding for the study was provided by National Institutes of Health grants R01ES022972, R01ES029779, R01ES032214, R01ES034793, and P2CES033423. Further funding was provided by several Argentinian foundations as well as the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia.

Along with Trasande, Marina Olga Fernandez, PhD, at the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research in Buenos Aires, Argentina, serves as study senior author.

Another study co-investigator is Aleksandra Buha Đorđević, PhD, at the University of Belgrade in Serbia.

For people with allergies, even a brief whiff of the airborne allergens these organisms produce can lead to swollen eyes, itchy skin and impaired breathing.

Such allergens can persist indoors for months after the original source is gone, and repeated exposure can exacerbate, and even lead to, asthma.

What if you could just flip a switch and disable them? You can, according to new University of Colorado Boulder research.

"We have found that we can use a passive, generally safe ultraviolet light treatment to quickly inactivate airborne allergens," said study author Tess Eidem, a senior research associate in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering.

"We believe this could be another tool for helping people fight allergens in their home, schools or other places where allergens accumulate indoors."

The findings were published in August in the journal ACS ES&T Air.

Why you can't kill an allergen

Walk into a room with a cat and, if you sneeze, it's not actually the cat you are reacting to. It's likely airborne flecks of a protein called Fel d1 produced in their saliva. The protein spreads when they lick themselves and ends up in microscopic flakes of dead skin floating in the air, a.k.a. dander. When we inhale these particles, our immune system produces antibodies that bind to the protein's unique 3D structure, kicking off an allergic reaction.

Dogs, mice, dust mites, mold and plants all emit their own unique proteins, with their own unique structure. Unlike bacteria and viruses, these allergens can't be killed because they were never alive.

"After those dust mites are long gone, the allergen is still there," said Eidem. "That's why, if you shake out a rug, you can have a reaction years later."

Standard methods of reducing allergens -- like vacuuming, washing walls, using an air filter and regularly bathing pets -- can work OK but are hard to maintain long-term studies show.

Eidem and co-authors Mark Hernandez, a professor of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, and Kristin Rugh, a microbiologist in the lab, sought a simpler way.

Instead of eliminating the proteins that cause allergies, they sought to change their structure -- much like unfolding an origami animal -- so the immune system wouldn't recognize them.

"If your immune system is used to a swan and you unfold the protein so it no longer looks like a swan, you won't mount an allergic response," explained Eidem.

UV light, their study suggests, can do that.

Let there be light

Previous research has shown that UV light can kill airborne microorganisms, including the virus that causes COVID-19.

It's already used widely to disinfect equipment in hospitals, airports and elsewhere, but the bandwidth is typically so strong (a wavelength of 254 nanometers) that users must wear protective equipment to prevent damage to skin and eyes.

Eidem used 222-nanometer-wavelength lights, a less-intense alternative considered safe for occupied spaces because it doesn't penetrate deep into cells. (It does not come entirely without risks, including ozone production, she notes, so exposure should be limited.)

The team pumped microscopic aerosolized allergens from mites, pet dander, mold and pollen into an unoccupied and sealed 350-cubic-foot chamber. Then they switched on four lunchbox-sized UV222 lamps on the ceiling and floor.

When they sampled the air at 10-minute intervals and compared it to untreated, allergen-filled air via laboratory tests, they saw significant differences. In the treated samples, immunorecognition was reduced, meaning the antibodies no longer recognized many of the proteins and stuck to them.

After just 30 minutes, airborne allergen levels effectively decreased by about 20% to 25% on average, the study showed.

"Those are pretty rapid reductions when you compare them to months and months of cleaning, ripping up carpet, and bathing your cat," said Eidem.

A portable allergy buster?

UV222 lights are already commercially available, mostly for industrial antimicrobial uses.

But Eidem envisions a day when companies could engineer portable versions for people to switch on when they visit a friend with a pet or clean out a dusty basement.

UV222 systems could also potentially protect workers frequently exposed to allergens, such as those who work around live animals or in cannabis grow houses where, her own research shows, allergic reactions can be deadly.

One-in-three adults and children in the United States have allergies, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Eidem hopes her research, and more to come, can provide them with some relief -- or even save lives.

"Asthma attacks kill about 10 people every day in the United States, and they are often triggered by airborne allergies," she said. "Trying to develop new ways to prevent that exposure is really important."