Over the past century, a host of once-common products found to be hazardous have fallen out of widespread public use, deftly illustrated by the asbestos-derived snow in The Wizard of Oz. 

Plastic wouldn't become ubiquitous worldwide for another decade or two after that film was released in 1939. 

While there is no indication that the dangers rival the "hazmat suit-advised" level of asbestos, some thematic similarities with the seemingly innocuous yet potentially deadly prop used in the movie have emerged from CNN's recent experiment with high-tech, contaminant-detecting wristbands.

What's happening?

"Plastic is woven into our lives," the article's opening stated, and chances were high that anyone reading the article was doing so in an environment awash in plastic.

It's colorful, flexible, and among the cheapest substances with which to manufacture virtually everything. Plastic touches the food we eat and the water we drink, and permeates the air we breathe, both indoors and outdoors.

CNN arranged for three reporters — in Hong Kong, London, and New York — to wear "chemical-tracking wristbands" supplied by the International Pollutants Elimination Network, or IPEN. 

The wristbands were designed to detect 73 distinct "chemicals associated with plastics," but didn't detect PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, another pervasive, invisible health risk.

Each reporter wore a wristband for five days in their respective cities before returning the devices for analysis. According to CNN, the results were "chilling."

They revealed a "toxic stew" of environmental contaminants. As suspected, the data from each wristband differed, but the outlet found that "the similarities were much more striking."

Phthalates, an additive that makes plastic more flexible, were detected in the highest concentrations for all three wearers. 

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Bisphenols like BPA were present in all three samples, and like phthalates, they're associated with "a slew of negative health impacts, according to a large and growing body of science." 

As the outlet noted, the impacts of tens of thousands of potential contaminants remain unknown and unquantified, and what is known typically involves adverse health impacts.

Why is this important?

"We're dealing with quite a big mess," said Norwegian University of Science and Technology biologist Martin Wagner.

Wagner was the lead author on a recent study published in Nature, which aimed to identify and catalog plastic chemicals of concern.

The authors emphasized the extent to which many complex chemical compounds have yet to be identified, impeding scientists' ability to assess their safety. Leonardo Trasande, a researcher at New York University, expressed similar concerns about "invisible" toxins.

"The chemicals used in plastic are now extremely well known to contribute to disease and disability that cuts across the lifespan, from cradle to grave, from womb to tomb," Trasande told CNN.

What's being done about plastic chemicals?

Wagner lamented inaction on the part of the plastics industry, and years-long efforts by the United Nations to enact a Global Plastics Treaty have thus far been unsuccessful.

Using less plastic is easier than it sounds and limits direct exposure to plastic chemicals, as does replacing your most used items with plastic-free alternatives.

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