15/01/2026

LYFE THURSDAY | JAN 15, 2026

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Plastic burning ignites concerns o Act uncovers health, social equality, environmental issues

A new study has shed light on the widespread number of households in developing countries burning plastic as an everyday energy source, uncovering serious international health, social equality and environmental concerns. Published in Nature Communications, the Curtin University-led research surveyed more than 1,000 respondents across 26 countries, including Malaysia, who work closely with low-income urban neighbourhoods, such as researchers, government workers and community leaders. One in three respondents said they were aware of households burning plastic, with many personally witnessing neighbours or community members doing so. A smaller but significant group reported having burned plastic themselves. Lead researcher Dr Bishal Bharadwaj, from the Curtin Institute for Energy Transition (CIET), said the study was the first to provide broad global evidence of households burning plastic to not only dispose of waste but also cook food, heat homes, light fires and keep insects away. “This is an issue that has largely been happening out of sight in communities and been difficult to get accurate data on, however this survey provides additional insights into what is going on,” Bishal said. “When families can’t afford cleaner fuels and have no reliable waste collection, plastic becomes both a nuisance and a last-resort energy source. We found evidence of people burning everything from plastic bags and wrappers to bottles and packaging, just to meet basic household needs. The practice is far more widespread than anyone realised but because it happens in marginalised communities and is often hidden, it has escaped meaningful global attention despite

system damage. PVC ranks as the third most commonly burned plastic, which is extremely concerning,” Hari said. Co-researcher Dr Pramesh Dhungana from Curtin’s School of Molecular and Life Sciences said the study highlighted the risks of food contamination from plastic burning. “Our survey found 60% of respondents thought it (is) extremely likely that toxic chemicals from burning plastic could contaminate food and water. This isn’t just theoretical: studies near plastic burning sites have found toxic compounds in eggs and soil samples. When plastic burns near homes and food preparation areas, these toxins can settle on crops, enter water sources and accumulate in foods, creating a hidden health crisis for communities already facing significant challenges,” Pramesh said. Co-author and CIET director Professor Peta Ashworth said addressing the issue required far more than simply telling households not to burn plastic – and targeted action was required quickly given plastic use is projected to triple by 2060. “People only do this because they have no safer alternatives, due to root causes such as extreme energy poverty, unaffordable cleaner fuels and inadequate waste services. It’s essential that solutions include improving sanitation, supporting access to modern cooking energy and working with communities on practical, culturally relevant options. This research provides the evidence base needed to design interventions that genuinely support the world’s most vulnerable urban residents,” Ashworth said.

Studies near plastic burning sites have found toxic compounds in eggs and soil samples.

“When PVC is burned, it releases highly toxic dioxins and furans, which are among the most dangerous pollutants known. These compounds persist in the environment, accumulate in the food chain and can cause serious health problems including cancer, reproductive disorders and immune

and people with disabilities were identified as those most exposed. Co-author Professor Hari Vuthaluru from Curtin’s Western Australian School of Mines said the burning of materials such as mixed plastics and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) posed severe risks from toxic emissions.

the severe risks to health and the environment.” The team found households frequently used simple stoves such as three-stone fires, charcoal stoves and makeshift burners to burn plastic, producing toxic smoke inside homes and densely populated areas. Women, children, older residents

Rare genius dogs learn vocabulary by eavesdropping, study says

Canine savants Clive Wynne, a canine behaviourist at Arizona State University, called the study “very nicely done,” but cautioned the animals studied were “deeply exceptional” and that people should not expect genius qualities from their family pets. But, how do these intelligent pups become so smart? “One obvious possibility is that these dogs are true canine savants. “But another possibility is that it’s not their cognition that’s exceptional, it’s their motivational system – that they have motivational systems that can be activated and yet never fill up,” said Wynne. He gave the example of the dog Chaser, who has a phenomenal vocabulary of more than a 1,000 words – and who also has a great capacity for training and play that is not representative of the species. Chaser was a Border Collie, a working dog breed that Dror said is among the top dog types among gifted word learners. But she said they have seen a “surprising” range of breeds represented including a Shih Tzu, a Pekingese, Yorkshires along with mixed breeds including a rescue. Although “typical” dogs are not likely to learn from overheard speech, Dror emphasised dogs in general still “are really good at understanding human communicative cues.” “Even if our dogs do not know the names of objects, I think we can still pay more attention to how we are conducting ourselves when we’re interacting with our dogs... with the underlying thought that maybe our dogs are learning something from this,” Drof said. – AFP

THERE is a few special words that will perk the ears of many a dog – hungry, park and of course T-R-E-A-T. But a choice group of gifted canines appear to have remarkable capacity for learning human vocabulary, to the point that they acquire language by eavesdropping the way young toddlers do. That is according to a new study published in the journal Science, which showed some “gifted word learner” dogs already known capable of learning toy names through training and play can also pick up words simply by overhearing people speak to each other. Cognitive researcher Shany Dror of the Veterinary University of Vienna’s Clever Dog Lab has spent years running a “Genius Dog Challenge” that recruits canines who’ve demonstrated particular ability to learn language through social interactions. In her research, she noticed some dogs seemed to be listening in on their owners: “They would tell me stories, like we were talking about ordering a pizza, and then the dog came into the living room with the toy named pizza,” Dror told AFP. So she and a team out of Hungary’s Eotvos Lorand University set out to test whether their group of particularly intelligent dogs could create the association of a new word to a new object without being directly taught the connection. And in a new development they found the gifted dogs could learn new toy names just as well from overheard speech as they did when directly addressed, proving it by later retrieving

Border Collies are one of the top dog types among gifted word learners. – ALL PICS FROM 123RF

learning, to see if it exists in an animal that does not have language.” “We found that it does exist. “This gives us a kind of hint to the fact that before humans developed language, they first had this very complex cognitive ability to learn from others,” Dror said.

the toys. These dogs are considered outliers. Dror said her team has been searching for some seven years for dogs who know toy names and have found about 45. Yet she said the findings offer some clues about the “complex machinery needed for social