Chemical pollution : a growing peril and potential catastrophic risk to humanity 1 2

Chemical pollution: a growing peril and potential catastrophic risk to humanity 1 2 Ravi Naidua,b*†, Bhabananda Biswasb,c*‡, Ian R. Willettd, Julian Cribbe, Brajesh Kumar 3 Singhf, C. Paul Nathanailg, Frederic Coulonh, Kirk T. Semplei, Kevin C. Jonesi, Adam 4 Barclayb, Robert John Aitkenj,k 5 6 a Global Centre for Environmental Remediation (GCER), The University of Newcastle, ATC building, 7 Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia. 8

shows estimated deaths reported for the year 2015 (after is attempting to define 'emerging contaminants' that are yet to be regulated, in order to anticipate 153 future problems (Richardson and Kimura 2017). 154 Many chemicals now considered pollutants were beneficial at the time of their discovery (Kerr 155 2017). For example, when organochlorine insecticides were developed in the 1950s their main 156 application was to control agricultural and disease-carrying insect pests, and they were The emission, dispersal and exposure of dangerous chemical pollutants and their mixtures are  The quantity, residence time and mobility of environmental pollutants combine to create a 230 long-lasting 'chemical footprint' (Sala and Goralczyk 2013) (Fig. 1). The exposure of all 231 humans to pollutants from both point and widely dispersed sources is presently unavoidable 232 due to their extensive and ubiquitous release, dispersal and disposal. (Fig. 2).

Figure 2
With the current lifestyles of human civilisation it is almost impossible to avoid 235 exposure to chemical pollutants, even for people attempting to lead healthy lives. Humans are 236 exposed to chemical pollutants throughout their lives through several routes. These include (i) 237 the direct use of chemicals in known or unknown unsafe ways (e.g. food additives and

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(2020) proposed that exposure of such particles, and particle-borne chemicals, to the blood 286 vessels of the brain could cause inflammation and microhaemorrhages in the brain-blood  can occur to an extent sufficient to cause concern, due to intentional and unintentional use of and security in less-developed countries can occur when productive land is lost due to chemical contamination (Fig. 3). In the last 40 years nearly one-third of the Earth's total arable land has 445 been lost to soil erosion, desertification, urban expansion, and contamination (Cameron et al.

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2015). Soils contaminated with heavy metals and pesticides cause loss of productive 447 agricultural land and compromise food production and quality (Fig. 3). There is no global 448 estimate of the areal losses of arable land attributed to chemical pollution, but regional reports  The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) tentatively calls for "a comprehensive 569 multi-stakeholder preventative strategy" in its Global Chemical Outlook Report (UNEP 2019).

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Key aspects of their strategies are a set of responses to address identified challenges related to 571 chemical exposure and sound chemical management at "country and regional level",

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"corporate level and civil society" and "international level". The strategies are often 573 collaborative among stakeholders. In the case of EDCs, an international body, the Endocrine 574 Society, argues for policies that are grounded in science and guided by evidence. 575 We propose here a number of priority strategies for curbing the dispersal of chemicals known 576 to be harmful to our genes, nutrition and habitat:

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Unless industry worldwide receives strong, clear economic and regulatory signals to produce 632 clean, safe and healthy products it will continue with business as usual (Hou and Ok 2019).

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Coordinated action on a global scale is required to make a change in this regard. The authors 634 propose that a global consensus process similar to that now operating for climate change be 635 introduced as quickly as possible. This will be a multinational initiative underpinned by science 636 and government, to define, quantify, set limits to, recommend clean up approaches, and devise new ways to curb the growing efflux of chemical contamination on human health and the 638 environment.

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As with climate change and clean energy, the key lies in changing the behaviour of billions of 640 people so that they, in turn, can change the behaviour of their governments, industry and fellow Contributions to Reducing Global Emissions United Nations Environment Programme,