From Evidence to Action: Building a Medical Movement on Plastics and Human Health

The evidence linking plastics and plastic-associated chemicals to human health has expanded dramatically over the past decade. Micro- and nanoplastics and thousands of plastic-associated chemicals are now detected throughout the environment and the human body, while research increasingly implicates these exposures in adverse reproductive, developmental, metabolic, cardiovascular, respiratory, and immune outcomes. Yet despite rapid scientific advances, many healthcare professionals remain unfamiliar with the evidence or uncertain about how to communicate it to patients, colleagues, policymakers, and the public.

This presentation introduces the Physician and Scientist Network Addressing Plastics and Health (P-SNAP), a national network established to bridge this gap between scientific discovery and public health action. The session will describe P-SNAP’s approach to translating emerging evidence into physician education, clinical communication, public engagement, policy advocacy, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Given its strong overlap in mission and goals with the Climate Health Society, P-SNAP can serve as a ready-made resource for professional development and communications training for CHS participants. Presentation attendees will learn how educational programming, expert working groups, medical society engagement, speaker development, and strategic partnerships are equipping physicians and scientists to serve as trusted voices on plastics and human health.

The presentation will also explore the unique role of healthcare professionals in advancing upstream prevention by translating complex environmental health science into practical guidance and evidence-informed policy. By highlighting lessons from P-SNAP’s first year of growth, the session will present a model for translating environmental health science into education, advocacy, and upstream prevention, demonstrating how coordinated medical leadership can strengthen public understanding and advance healthier policies.