The Toxicity Report 2025

Deep Science Ventures Toxicity Report 2025 

At lastinghealth, we use the term ‘toxic’ to describe chemicals sparingly, it’s an emotive word – but a new report by Deep Science Ventures doesn’t hold back from using it. 

The Toxicity Report 2025, titled ‘The Invisible Tsunami’ warns of harm to human health and societal impact if society fails to address chemical toxicity decisively, which could lead to irreversible consequences for human health and global ecosystems. 

It sets out the scale of the problem – that chemicals originating from industrial sectors, fossil fuels, and petrochemicals are ubiquitous in the environment, they contaminate air, water, and food, and are found in the bodies of humans across the globe. We already know this – but the report suggests that ‘pervasive toxicity threatens human and planetary survival’ – it’s a bold claim.  

Deep Science Ventures conducted an 8-month investigation, funded by the Grantham Foundation, a charity dedicated to the protection of the environment. The research included extensive analysis of the latest scientific papers and interviews with researchers, and key thought leaders. The report sets out that the industrial economy has produced over 100 million new chemicals since the 1950’s, with 350,000 in commercial use today, and evaluates the risk they pose to human health.

The health impacts of exposure to chemicals highlighted in the report 

The report correlates exposure to toxic chemicals with rises in cancer, obesity, dementia, infertility, heart and respiratory problems, immune disorders, and neurological conditions. It notes that over 3,600 synthetic chemicals from food contact materials alone can be detected in humans. PFAS contamination is widespread meaning that rainwater often exceeds safe drinking water limits. 

Chemicals can cause human harm via oxidative stress and endocrine disruption, impacting on fertility and child development. For example, men with high PFAS exposure can see sperm counts reduced by more than half. Prenatal exposure to toxins like phthalates and bisphenol A is particularly harmful. 

Report recommendations 

There is a long list of recommendations, but one of particular note – the urgent need for rigorous testing of low dose and combined exposures which are often underestimated, or unknown. 

This would require modernising regulatory frameworks and changes to address the major gaps in regulation, monitoring, and innovation in the use of chemicals. For example, substitutes to replace chemicals with known toxic effects can be introduced without rigorous testing due to the lack of sufficient hazard data and outdated frameworks used in chemical risk assessments.  

What can we do in everyday lives to reduce our exposure to chemicals? 

The Toxicity report highlights the need for better public information about the potential health effects of exposure to chemicals used in everyday products – something we made our mission and the reason why we’ve been sharing news and updates on the latest scientific thinking for the last five years. 

To help anyone who is concerned about the potential health effects of these exposures, we have developed a new test that will identify any recent exposures to 27 different types of chemicals, including parabens, phthalates, pesticides, VOCs, and bisphenols. It’s not quire ready yet, but you can register your interest using the form below, and we’ll let you know as soon as it is available.

The New Everyday Chemicals Test will help you understand which chemicals you have been exposed to by analysing metabolite markers in a urine sample. When you know your exposures, you can follow our simple steps guidance to start reducing your exposure, and avoid some of the chemicals altogether. 

 

More reading

Learn more about what’s known about the health risks of exposures to chemicals. 

Read the Deep Science Ventures report 

The information on our website should not be used as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare provider. If you have any specific questions about any medical matter, you should consult your doctor or other professional healthcare provider. Lastinghealth.com is not responsible for the content of external websites. The inclusion of a link to a third-party website should not be understood as an endorsement. 

Image credit: Mmegaflopp