In developed countries, contact with plastics is constant. Plastics contain a vast number of additives such as plasticisers, stabilisers,
antioxidants,
flame retardants, etc., that can impact human health. Most of them have been studied separately; however, an integrative approach to identify genes, biological processes, molecular functions, and diseases linked to exposure to these compounds has not been addressed until now. The genes most commonly affected by
plastic additives are related to apoptosis, cell death, proliferation and differentiation, immunity and
insulin-related processes, and are mainly associated with
cancer,
mental disorders,
diabetes mellitus type II and
obesity. The most commonly affected molecular functions included
steroid hormone receptor activity implicated in
cancer,
mental disorders, immune signalling and
gonadotropin-releasing
hormones. These processes and functions affected by
plastic additives are related to the diseases of the developed world, most of which are linked to the endocrine system, such as
cancer, diabetes,
infertility and
obesity. The strong interconnection among the top 50 genes modulated by
plastic additives shows that the pathways affected are strongly interrelated. Therefore, studying the effects of
plastic additives through a single-compound approach cannot be sufficient and a holistic approach is more appropriate for evaluating the potential effects of plastics in human health.