Doctors are sounding the alarm about tiny plastic particles entering the human body, finding that people with higher levels of the substance in their blood vessels have a higher risk of stroke, heart attack and early death.

Scientists have long known that microplastics invade our bodies. food we eat, water we drink and the air we breathe.

Little is known about their effects on health, but a new paper published Thursday could represent a “step forward” in scientists’ understanding.

The study found that patients with micro- or nanoplastics present in fatty plaques in their blood vessels were much more likely to have a stroke, early death, or heart attack than patients whose blood vessels were not contaminated with plastic. There was found.

Researchers found that nearly three in five (58%) of the 304 patients in the Italian study had plastic in their blood vessels.

The results were published in the peer-reviewed New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

The findings do not prove that plastic particles caused heart attacks or strokes, as patients may have been exposed to other risk factors.

But these studies are in line with other research published in 2021 by Hull York Medical School and the University of Hull, which found microplastics can harm human cells.

Professor Richard Thompson, from the International Marine Debris Research Unit at the University of Plymouth, said: “Our laboratory research shows that nanoplastics can spread from the gastrointestinal tract, through the circulatory system, and throughout the bodies of marine organisms within hours. It has been shown that.”

He added: “It may not be surprising that recent studies have shown the presence of micro- and nanoplastics in human blood and tissue.

“This paper represents an important advance and helps demonstrate the potential for associated harm.”

Dr Danya Bakubaki, a clinical lecturer in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Bristol, said the study “could be a step forward in our understanding”.

But she said other factors could be to blame for the health problems, such as socio-economic data associated with coronary artery disease.

“Larger studies need to be conducted in different geographical locations to see if these findings can be replicated,” she added.

The world is producing more and more plastic, but only 9% of it is successfully recycled, with the majority ending up in landfills, incineration or entering the environment, according to a new OECD report. It is said that they are doing so.

Plastic does not decompose for at least several hundred years.

Joe Royle is CEO of Common Seas, the campaign organization that commissioned the 2022 peer-reviewed study. Plastic found in blood.

She called the new study “very concerning, but unfortunately not shocking.”

She added: “From our blood to our hearts, plastic now permeates every part of our bodies.

“Governments around the world must now act quickly to ban harmful plastic products and come together in support of a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty that recognizes the threat plastics pose to human health. not.”

In 2022, 175 governments have agreed to create a legally binding international agreement to end plastic pollution.

It was expected to be finalized by 2024, but negotiations are still ongoing.

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