Overview
- A Nature Communications survey of more than 1,000 informed respondents across 26 countries documents plastic burned in low-income urban households for cooking, heating, lighting and pest control.
- One in three respondents reported local awareness of household plastic burning, and roughly 16% admitted they had burned plastic themselves.
- PET bottles and LDPE bags were commonly cited, while PVC ranked third despite releasing highly toxic dioxins and furans linked to serious health harms.
- Burning typically occurs in three-stone, charcoal and makeshift stoves, driving indoor and neighborhood exposure that disproportionately affects women, children, older people and people with disabilities.
- Respondents reported high concern about contamination of food and water (60% said extremely likely), with prior site studies detecting toxins in eggs and soil, and researchers call for expanded waste collection, affordable clean fuels and community-tailored interventions.