A new extensive review article assessing the state of global chemical pollution highlights the challenges for global chemical assessment, regulation and management systems.

The chemicals available on the world’s market today are estimated to be approximately 350,000, and this sheer number presents a huge challenge for the systems of chemical assessment, regulation and management worldwide.

Because of the complexity and number of chemicals to assess and the enormous variability of their uses, the regulatory system is overwhelmed and not sufficiently protective. Many industrial chemicals have not been sufficiently tested for hazardous properties, and even for pesticides, the testing is not sufficiently comprehensive; thus, resulting in a serious global chemical pollution issue.

The article includes sections on pesticides, industrial chemicals with a focus on PFASs, and a section that presents suggestions for regulatory reform, and emphasises the need for a chemical transition leading to fewer chemicals and lower amounts of chemicals used in modern societies. Without such a chemical transition, the burden of chemical pollution on human and environmental health will keep increasing. 

The Study

The paper “The State of the World’s Chemical Pollution” by Martin Scheringer and Ralf Schulz was published on 8th August 2025 in Annual Reviews of Environment and Resources.

Scheringer, M. and Schulz, R. (2025). The state of the world’s chemical pollution. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-111523-102318