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More bad news about plastic.

According to a scientific report issued Tuesday, the plastics we commonly usecontain and leach hazardous chemicals, including some that threaten human health, especially the body's endocrine system.

"Many of the plastics we use every day at home and work are exposing us to a harmful cocktail of endocrine-disrupting chemicals," the reports lead author, Jodi Flaws of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said in a statement.

The endocrine system is a series of glands that produce and secrete hormones the body uses for a wide range of functions, according to the Endocrine Society, which co-produced the report. The hormones control many bodily functions, including respiration, reproduction, sensory perception, growth, movement and sexual development.

According to the report, which was based on hundreds of studies, endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) mimic, block or interfere with those hormones. More than 1,000manufactured chemicalsin use are EDCs.

These chemicalscan cause cancer, diabetes, reproductive disorders and neurological impairments of developing fetuses and children. The report says there are direct cause-and-effect links between the toxic chemical additives in plastics and specific health impacts to the endocrine system.

The additives are meant to make plastics more pliable or durable, more fire-resistant or antimicrobial, more UV-resistant or simply more colorful. Many of these additives disturb hormonal systems in humans and animals by leaching into liquids, food and the environment, the report says.

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Endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure is not only a global problem today, but it poses a serious threat to future generations,report co-author Pauliina Damdimopoulouof the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, said in a statement. When a pregnant woman is exposed, EDCs can affect the health of her child and eventual grandchildren. Animal studies show EDCs can cause DNA modifications that have repercussions across multiple generations.

Plastic containing EDCs is used extensively in almost every aspect of our lives, includingin packaging, construction, flooring, food production and packaging, cookware, health care, childrens toys, leisure goods, furniture, home electronics, textiles, automobilesand cosmetics.

The report says the need for public policy to protect people'shealth from EDCs in plastics is all the more urgent given the industrys dramatic growth projections.

Hundreds of millions of metric tons of plastic areproduced each year.

This report clarifies that the current acceleration of plastic production, projected to increase by 30%-36% in the next six years, will greatly exacerbate EDC exposures and rising global rates of endocrine diseases," said Pamela Miller, International Pollutants Elimination Networkco-chair.

"Global policies to reduce and eliminate EDCs from plastic and reduce exposures from plastic recycling, plastic waste and incineration are imperative," Miller said.

The report was produced by theInternational Pollutants Elimination Networkwith the Endocrine Society.

Here is some information from the Endocrine Society about how to choose the least harmful plastics based on their recycling symbol and other useful tips about endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

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'A serious threat': Plastics we use every day are leaching hazardous chemicals, report says - USA TODAY