Environmental Protection and Health Conflicts in the Circular Economy: An In-depth Analysis and Strategy

Overview of the core of the article, highlighting the main theme: Exploring the potential health risks behind the benefits of the circular economy and proposing solutions.

Introduction: The Bright Side and Shadows of the Circular Economy

The circular economy, as an important strategy to address resource depletion and environmental pollution, is receiving widespread attention globally. It promises to build a more sustainable future by reducing waste, reusing resources, and recycling. However, behind this bright prospect lie some shadows that cannot be ignored.

Imagine this scenario: A company actively responds to environmental calls by processing recycled waste plastic bottles into children's toys. However, subsequent testing reveals that the plasticizers in these plastics are seriously excessive, and long-term exposure may lead to developmental delays in children and even affect the reproductive system. This case is not fictional; it reveals a critical and complex issue in the development of the circular economy: While pursuing environmental benefits, have we fully considered the potential health risks?

What is the Circular Economy? Why is it Important?

The circular economy is a new economic development model that breaks the traditional linear model of “extraction-manufacturing-use-disposal” and instead pursues the closed-loop flow of resources, like a “cradle-to-cradle” lifecycle.

• Definition of Circular Economy: Cradle to Cradle. Emphasizes the recycling and reuse of resources after the end of a product's lifecycle, making them new raw materials for production, thereby reducing the demand for virgin resources.
• Core Principles of the Circular Economy: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. These three principles form the cornerstone of the circular economy. Reduce refers to reducing resource consumption and waste generation from the source; Reuse refers to extending the lifespan of products, for example, through repair and refurbishment; Recycle refers to transforming waste into new resources.
• Benefits of the Circular Economy: Environmental, Economic, and Social. The circular economy not only reduces environmental pollution and saves resources but also creates new job opportunities, promotes economic growth, and enhances social well-being.

The "Achilles Heel" of the Circular Economy: Potential Health Risks

Although the benefits of the circular economy are obvious, its development is not smooth sailing. Potential health risks are like the Achilles heel in Greek mythology, its fatal weakness.

• Risks in Material Recycling:

  • Residues of Hazardous Substances: Materials such as plastics and electronic waste often contain hazardous substances, such as phthalates (plasticizers) and bisphenol A (BPA) in plastics, and heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium in electronic waste. Even after recycling, these hazardous substances may be difficult to completely remove, remaining in recycled materials and posing a threat to human health. For example, a study showed that the detection rate of phthalates in recycled plastics is as high as 80%, and the content in some samples exceeds safety standards (Source: Environmental Science & Technology, 2022).
  • Emergence of New Pollutants: During the recycling process, some new pollutants that we do not fully understand may be generated due to high temperatures, chemical reactions, and other factors. These pollutants may be more toxic and pose a greater potential risk to human health and the environment. Recent studies have found that dioxin-like substances are produced during certain plastic recycling processes, and their toxicity is one of the most toxic substances known (Source: Chemosphere, 2023).
  • Risk of Secondary Pollution: The recycling process itself can also generate pollution. For example, unregulated recycling of waste tires can lead to air pollution, soil pollution, and water pollution, seriously affecting the health of surrounding residents. A typical case is that some small workshops use open burning to dispose of waste tires, releasing large amounts of harmful gases and particulate matter, which seriously pollutes the atmospheric environment and causes respiratory diseases (Case Source: China Environmental News, 2020).

• Risks in the Food and Agriculture Sectors:

  • Hygiene and Safety Issues with the Reuse of Organic Waste: Treatment methods such as composting and biogas can transform organic waste into fertilizer or energy, but if not handled properly, there may be a risk of pathogen residues. According to the requirements of 《GB/T 38407-2019 Technical Specification for Composting of Livestock and Poultry Manure》, composting must reach a certain temperature and time to effectively kill pathogens and ensure the hygiene and safety of compost products.
  • Pesticide and Veterinary Drug Residues: There may be a risk of pesticide and veterinary drug residues in the recycling of agricultural and livestock products. For example, using untreated animal manure as fertilizer may lead to excessive levels of antibiotics in agricultural products. Relevant test data show that veterinary drug residues have been detected in some organic vegetables, and long-term consumption may have adverse effects on human health (Source: China Food Safety Website, 2021).

• Risks in Other Areas:

  • Asbestos Risk in the Recycling of Building Materials. If asbestos-containing materials are present during the demolition of old buildings, improper handling may lead to the release of asbestos fibers, which can cause diseases such as lung cancer and mesothelioma after inhalation.
  • Dye and Chemical Risks in Textile Recycling. If environmentally unfriendly dyes and chemicals are used in the recycling of waste textiles, they may irritate human skin or even cause allergic reactions. For example, certain azo dyes decompose under specific conditions to produce carcinogenic substances, and long-term exposure can pose a threat to human health.

Health Risk Analysis of Different Circular Economy Models

The circular economy includes a variety of different models, each with its own unique health risks.

• Product Recycling: Recycling materials from discarded products, such as plastic bottles, metals, and glass.
  • Potential Risks: Residues of harmful substances in materials, secondary pollution during the recycling process. For example, if cleaning and disinfection are not thorough during plastic bottle recycling, bacteria and viruses may remain, posing a potential threat to human health.
• Product Remanufacturing: Repairing or upgrading discarded products and putting them back into use, such as refurbished mobile phones and used cars.
  • Potential Risks: Product safety issues, material aging issues. For example, some refurbished mobile phones may use inferior batteries or have security vulnerabilities, leading to safety hazards. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has repeatedly recalled remanufactured products due to electrical safety issues, mechanical failures, and other reasons.
• Product Sharing: Extending the lifespan of products through leasing, sharing, and other methods, such as shared bicycles and shared cars.
  • Potential Risks: Hygiene issues, maintenance issues. A survey report shows that the total number of bacteria on shared bicycle handlebars and seats exceeds the standard, which may spread diseases (Source: Shanghai Consumer Rights Protection Commission, 2019).
• Material Biodegradation: Converting organic waste into resources such as fertilizer through biodegradation.
  • Potential Risks: Pathogen residues, heavy metal pollution. 《NY/T 701-2015 Organic Fertilizer》 has clear regulations on the content of heavy metals and the number of pathogenic bacteria in organic fertilizers to ensure their safe use.

How to Minimize Health Risks in the Circular Economy?

To achieve the healthy development of the circular economy, active and effective measures must be taken to minimize potential health risks.

• Strengthen Source Control of Materials: Restrict the use of harmful substances and promote environmentally friendly materials. The EU REACH Regulation strictly restricts the use of chemical substances to protect human health and the environment.
• Improve Recycling and Treatment Technologies: Adopt safer and more efficient recycling and treatment technologies to reduce secondary pollution. Closed-loop recycling technology can transform waste into recycled materials equivalent in quality to virgin materials, thereby reducing the demand for virgin resources and reducing pollution risks. Chemical recycling technology can decompose plastics into monomers through chemical reactions, thereby achieving plastic recycling and reducing pollution caused by incineration and landfill.
• Strengthen Product Safety Supervision: Establish a sound product safety supervision system to ensure the safety of remanufactured products and recycled materials. China has promulgated the 《Product Quality Law of the People's Republic of China》 to supervise product quality and protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.
• Raise Public Awareness: Strengthen public awareness of the health risks of the circular economy and improve consumers' safety awareness. Public awareness of the health risks of the circular economy can be raised through popular science publicity, media reports, and other means to guide consumers to choose safe and reliable circular economy products and services.

Case Studies: Circular Economy and Health

The following cases demonstrate how to solve health risk problems in circular economy practices and failures caused by neglecting health risks.

• Success Story:
  • Denmark's Plastix uses advanced recycling technology to successfully transform waste fishing nets into high-quality recycled plastic granules, which are used in automotive parts, furniture, and other fields. The company ensures that the recycled plastic does not contain harmful substances and meets food-grade safety standards through strict cleaning, disinfection, and testing processes.
• Failure Case:
  • In some parts of Africa, due to the lack of effective supervision and technical support, there are serious pollution problems in the recycling of waste electronic products. Workers use simple tools to dismantle electronic waste, releasing large amounts of heavy metals and harmful chemicals, resulting in serious pollution of soil and water sources, affecting the health of local residents.

Future Outlook: Healthy Development of the Circular Economy

The circular economy is the only way to achieve sustainable development. However, while pursuing environmental benefits, we must pay close attention to health risks and take active and effective measures to ensure the healthy development of the circular economy.

• Circular Economy and Health: An Issue That Needs Long-term Attention and Research. The health risks of the circular economy are a complex and dynamic issue that requires the joint efforts of governments, enterprises, research institutions, and the public for long-term attention and in-depth research.
• Technological Innovation: Provides New Possibilities for Solving the Health Risks of the Circular Economy. With the continuous development of science and technology, new recycling technologies, environmentally friendly materials, and testing methods will continue to emerge, providing new possibilities for solving the health risks of the circular economy.
• Policy Guidance: Escorting the Healthy Development of the Circular Economy. The government should strengthen policy guidance, improve laws and regulations, and establish a sound regulatory system to escort the healthy development of the circular economy.

Each of us should actively participate in the practice of the circular economy, choose environmentally friendly products, save resources, actively recycle, and jointly promote the healthy development of the circular economy, creating a better future for our children and grandchildren.