2026 NYU Langone Plastics and Human Health Symposium

September 22 , 8:00 am – September 23 , 5:00 pm EDT

NYU Langone’s Center for the Investigation of Environmental Hazards (CIEH), in collaboration with the Food Packaging Forum, cordially invites you to the 2026 Plastics and Human Health Symposium. The event will take place on Tuesday, September 22nd, and Wednesday, September 23rd, at the NYU Langone Health Murphy Auditorium in New York City. The launch of this year’s event builds on the momentum of the past two symposia, advancing collaborators’ efforts aligned with the United Nations’ negotiations for a global treaty to end plastic pollution.

NYU Langone’s third symposium is developed in partnership with the independent research organization, the Food Packaging Forum Foundation. The event will focus on individual environments where plastics abound and discuss opportunities and effects of solutions, focusing on the science-policy interface. Already confirmed speakers for this year’s event include Dr. Martin Wagner, PhD, Professor, Norwegian Technical University, Trondheim, and Johanna Hellrigl, Chef and plastic-free advocate, Ama, Washington, DC, USA.

The symposium will highlight urgent needs, present recent scientific evidence, and serve as a continuation of our collaborative dialogue on the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee’s process toward a Global Plastics Treaty, to ensure that the protection of human health remains a priority within this process.

A light breakfast and lunch options will be provided. A reception will follow the first day of the event.

FOOD AND DRINK ARE NOT ALLOWED INSIDE MURPHY AUDITORIUM.

By registering for our symposium, you agree to comply with NYU Langone Health’s visitor guidelines and Statement of Visitor Responsibilities as outlined here. NYU Langone Health asks you to collaborate with us in delivering an environment that is safe, respectful, and conducive to healing. Any visitor whose behaviors or actions are deemed a threat to patient or staff safety may be asked to leave.

For any event-related questions, please email Marissa Singer at marissa.singerrosenberg@nyulangone.org

Learn more and register here

Related Events

September 15 , 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm EDT

The “FRESH Act” sounds healthy, but it is not. Despite the name, this industry-backed bill would make it easier for companies to add new chemicals to our food with less government oversight, and it would erase hundreds of state laws that protect families from toxic ingredients. 

This bill is gaining traction due to the food industry’s deep pockets, and there is real concern it may pass Congress. Environmental Working Group (EWG) is hosting a “Toxics off the table!” rally in Washington, D.C., on September 15 to call on lawmakers to oppose the FRESH Act and put families’ health before corporate interests.

What the FRESH Act would do:

  • Erase existing and future state food safety laws. Hundreds of protections already on the books could be wiped out, including bans on PFAS “forever chemicals” in food packaging, artificial dyes in school food and heavy metals in baby food and infant formula.
  • Let toxic chemicals be called “safe.” New chemicals linked to cancer and reproductive harm could be added to food without the Food and Drug Administration ever confirming they are safe.
  • Let the food industry police itself. Industry-funded panels, including the flavor industry’s own panel, could review and greenlight chemicals for immediate use – even when reviewers have financial conflicts of interest.
  • Approve chemicals by default. If the FDA does not respond to a company within 90 days, the new chemical is automatically allowed into our food.
  • Give infant formula companies more time before telling the FDA if there is a contamination outbreak. They wouldn’t have to tell the FDA until they determined the root cause of the outbreak.
  • Leave in place the chemicals already in our food. The bill would not require the FDA to review a single ingredient currently on the market.

Join us to protect state food safety laws at the “toxics off the table!” rally:

What: Toxics off the table! rally to protect state food laws

When: September 15 at 2 p.m.

Where: Washington, D.C., Ulysses S. Grant Memorial 

Speakers include:

Learn more

Related Events

Berkeley, CA — Earth Island Institute, on behalf of itself and its project Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC), and Californians Against Waste (CAW) filed a motion to intervene in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California today, to defend California’s landmark “Truth in Environmental Labeling” Law (SB 343). On March 17, 2026, major industry groups representing packaging manufacturers filed suit against Attorney General Rob Bonta of California to challenge SB 343 (California League of Food Producers et al. v. Bonta). 

CA’s “Truth in Environmental Labeling” Law was enacted in 2021 to reduce misleading recycling labeling on products and packaging—especially materials like plastics, which are not always designed to be recycled and are rarely recycled in practice. The law prohibits the use of the “chasing arrows” symbol or any other indicator that a product is recyclable, unless specific statewide recyclability criteria are met. Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers must demonstrate that a product is beyond theoretically capable of being recycled, but that the material actually is collected; sorted; processed by recycling systems serving a substantial portion of California residents; and routinely becomes feedstock for new products. The overall goals of SB 343 are to provide consumers with more accurate recycling information, reduce contamination in recycling streams, hold companies accountable for misleading environmental marketing claims, and incentivize companies to make their products recyclable. 

Plastic manufacturers and industry packaging groups are seeking to block the enforcement of SB 343. The Court recently issued a preliminary injunction blocking the law from coming into effect. Earth Island Institute, PPC, and CAW have filed a motion to intervene to uphold SB 343 and its implementation. 

Clear and accurate labeling of consumer products and packaging reduces consumer confusion, lowers costs associated with collecting and processing unrecyclable materials in recycling programs, and helps prevent plastic pollution by ensuring companies make truthful claims about recyclability.

SB 343 will expose decades of misleading claims that plastic recycling is the solution to the plastic pollution crisis. This law is a breakthrough because it establishes guardrails for what can be labeled recyclable—not on a company’s terms, but based on reality. There should be truth in advertising. It’s critical that SB 343 be fully implemented.

— Dianna Cohen, Co-founder and Chief Vision Officer, Plastic Pollution Coalition

Consumers increasingly want to make environmentally responsible purchasing decisions. Those decisions become impossible when companies can place recycling symbols on packaging that is rarely or never recycled. SB 343 establishes objective standards to ensure environmental claims are based on evidence rather than marketing. For California, SB 343 represents a significant step forward in strengthening environmental standards, improving corporate accountability, and protecting consumers.

— Scott Hochberg, General Counsel, Earth Island Institute

This law has always been about truth-in-advertising, and consumers deserve facts, not greenwashing. Slapping a recycling symbol on unmarketable trash doesn’t make it suddenly transform it into something that has value.This law prevents companies from lying to their customers.

— Nick Lapis, Californians Against Waste

8
Take Action

Take the pledge, sign a petition, begin your plastic-free journey.

Read more
Join

Join our Coalition as an individual, an organization, or a business.

Read more
About Us

Learn about Plastic Pollution Coalition’s work and impact.

Read more