Despite the increasing global concern about plastic waste pollution, its specific implications for chronic disease patterns across socioeconomic contexts remain underexplored. Most prior research has focused on environmental or marine ecosystem effects, with limited attention to the human health dimension, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study aims to investigate the ecological correlations between per capita marine plastic emissions and the burden of COPD and skin diseases, with stratification by national income levels. We merged 2019 per capita plastic emission data (Our World in Data), 2021 Global Burden of Disease estimates (IHME) for COPD and skin disorders, and 2025 World Bank income classifications. Plastic consumption data were based on the most recent available year (2019), assuming relative stability across adjacent years. A moderate positive correlation was observed between plastic emissions and skin disease DALYs (r = 0.45), and a weaker correlation with COPD prevalence (r = 0.36). High-income countries showed lower disease burdens despite higher plastic output, suggesting contextual factors such as healthcare access. Marine plastic emissions may contribute to chronic disease disparities worldwide. Integrating environmental sustainability into public health frameworks is vital, especially in vulnerable low- and middle-income countries.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization: Y.-A.S.; Methodology: H.-W.J. and J.-W.N.; Formal analysis: H.-W.J.; Writing—original draft preparation: Y.-A.S.; Writing—review and editing: J.-W.N. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research was supported by a grant of Patient-Centered Clinical Research Coordinating Center (PACEN) funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (grant number: RS-2021-KH120073).
Institutional Review Board Statement
Ethical review and approval were waived for this study due to the use of de-identified, publicly accessible secondary datasets and the absence of human participants.
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement
The data supporting the findings of this study are publicly available. Marine plastic waste data were obtained from Our World in Data, and COPD prevalence and skin disorder DALYs were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 Study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). All datasets are openly accessible online. Available from: https://ourworldindata.org/ (accessed on 29 November 2025) and https://www.healthdata.org/ (accessed on 29 November 2025).
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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