Plastic has become part of everyday life. It is used in food packaging, drink bottles, clothing, household products, cars, and countless other items.
As these products wear down, they release tiny pieces of plastic into the environment.
Some of these particles are called microplastics, while even smaller ones are known as nanoplastics. These particles are so small that people can breathe them in or swallow them without realizing it.
Scientists have now found them in drinking water, seafood, fruits and vegetables, household dust, and even in the human body.
Over the past few years, researchers have detected microplastics in blood, lung tissue, the placenta, breast milk, and other organs. This has raised concerns about whether long-term exposure to these tiny particles could affect human health. One area receiving growing attention is heart disease, which remains the world’s leading cause of death.
A new study led by researchers from Sapienza University of Rome, together with collaborators from the University of Verona and the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli,” has found that people who experienced a serious heart attack were much more likely to have microplastics and nanoplastics in their blood than people with less severe heart disease or healthy coronary arteries.
The findings were published in the European Heart Journal.
The researchers enrolled 61 patients who underwent testing for suspected coronary artery disease. Some had suffered an acute heart attack, some had chronic ischemic heart disease, and others were found to have normal coronary arteries.
Blood was collected both from the arteries that supply blood directly to the heart and from other parts of the body. The researchers also examined each person’s smoking history and estimated their long-term exposure to fine air pollution.
Laboratory testing showed that tiny plastic particles were common, but they were not evenly distributed across the groups.
Eighty-four percent of patients who had experienced a heart attack had detectable plastics in their coronary blood. By comparison, plastics were found in only 40 percent of people with chronic heart disease and 32 percent of those whose coronary arteries appeared normal.
People in the heart attack group also carried a wider range of different plastic materials. Polyethylene, which is commonly used in shopping bags, packaging, and plastic containers, was the most frequently detected material.
The study also highlighted the possible role of environmental exposure. Smokers were around six times more likely to have plastic particles in their blood than people who did not smoke. Participants exposed to higher levels of PM2.5 air pollution also had higher levels of plastics.
Every participant who both smoked and experienced higher air pollution exposure tested positive for plastic particles, while only a small proportion of people with neither exposure had detectable plastics.
Scientists believe that cigarette smoke and polluted air may carry tiny plastic particles deep into the lungs, where they may cross into the bloodstream. Once inside the circulation, the particles may promote inflammation, damage the lining of blood vessels, and increase oxidative stress. These biological changes are already known to contribute to the development of heart disease.
However, the researchers stress that the study does not prove that plastics directly caused the heart attacks. The research only demonstrates a strong association. Other factors may also contribute, and the relatively small number of participants means the findings must be confirmed by larger studies involving more diverse populations.
Experts writing in an accompanying editorial said the findings fit with a growing body of evidence. Previous studies have detected microplastics inside fatty plaques that build up within arteries, and those plaques were linked with a greater risk of heart attacks, strokes, and death.
Laboratory experiments have also shown that plastic particles can trigger inflammatory reactions that may damage blood vessels.
The researchers believe the findings should encourage further investigation into plastic pollution as a possible cardiovascular risk factor. Traditional risks such as smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure remain the most important causes of heart disease, but environmental pollutants may represent another piece of the puzzle.
Reducing tobacco use, improving air quality, and limiting plastic pollution could eventually provide benefits that extend beyond protecting the environment.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk, and herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm.
For more health information, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases.
Source: Sapienza University of Rome.
