Plastic confetti and streamers thrown
at Carnival pose a threat to public and environmental health
because of their high plastic content, which has progressively
replaced paper in the make-up of the festive projectiles,
Italian doctors warned Sunday amid Carnival celebrations lasting
till 'Fat Tuesday' next week.
The Italian Society of Environmental Medicine (SIMA) appealed to
mayors across Italy to ban the use of plastic confetti and
streamers during carnival events.
"If until a few years ago the symbolic objects of Carnival,
namely confetti and streamers, were made only of paper, a
material that decomposes rather quickly, taking about 6 weeks,
today these products are increasingly made of highly polluting
plastic materials," said SIMA.
"This is because we are trying to make the appearance of
confetti and streamers increasingly attractive to consumers,
using metallic or phosphorescent colors and glitter coatings.
"Decorations and colors that are obtained through the use of
microplastics which, once the festive period is over, remain in
the environment and can take up to 600 years to completely
decompose". The risk is not only environmental but also health,
SIMA highlights: "microplastics and nanoplastics pollute the
sea, water, land and air and enter our bodies through the food
we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe, putting the
arteries at risk with a consequent increased risk of heart
attack or stroke, and causing damage to bones, the endocrine,
respiratory, nervous, as well as reproductive systems.
"For this reason, on the occasion of Carnival, we want an appeal
to the mayors of all Italy to issue ordinances, as done by the
Municipality of Venice, aimed at prohibiting the use of plastic
confetti and streamers on the territory", said SIMA President
Alessandro Miani.
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