Plastic causes disease and death from infancy to old age, and also leads to economic losses of more than $1.5 trillion annually in health care, according to a report published in the Lancet medical journal.

The report was published on Monday, a day before the start of international talks in Geneva. The objective of these talks is to sign the world's first agreement on combating plastic pollution.

The authors of the report called on delegates from almost 180 countries assembled in Switzerland to reach an agreement and sign the agreement, DW reports.

According to one of the authors, Philip Landrigan, a doctor and researcher at Boston College, the climate and plastic crises are "causing disease, death and disability today in tens of thousands of people."

“And these harms will become more severe in the years ahead as the planet continues to warm and plastic production continues to increase,” he believes.

Global plastic production has grown from 2 million tons in 1950 to 475 million tons in 2022; and this amount could triple by 2060. Also, less than 10% of all plastic produced is sent for recycling.