Small pieces of plastic that get into your blood vessels can increase your chances of heart attack, stroke and death, a new study warns.

Wait and change it back. Are microplastics showing up in our arteries? Last year, another study showed evidence of tiny plastic debris in human hearts. A new study published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine goes a step further and explores what the chemical-laden debris that enters our bodies means for heart health. Thing.

A team of researchers, mostly from Italy, screened arterial-clogging plaques surgically removed from patients being treated for asymptomatic carotid artery disease. The carotid arteries on each side of the neck are the main blood vessels that carry oxygen and blood to the brain, and blockage in these passageways increases the risk of stroke.

After examining the removed fat deposits, the scientists followed the 257 subjects for nearly three years after surgery. Researchers found that people with plastic in their carotid artery plaques were more likely to have a nonfatal heart attack, nonfatal stroke, or death from any cause than people without plastic in their blood vessels. They found that people are experiencing this about four times more often. Plaque tissue containing plastic debris also showed signs of increased inflammation.

This small study is the first time scientists have shown a link between microplastics and cardiovascular disease, but the paper notes that the results do not prove causation and that other factors, such as smoking and inactivity, It is clearly stated that factors that can affect the patient’s health status. Still, the researchers said the finding is an important addition to the growing body of research on health risks associated with plastics, and should be further investigated on a larger scale and in a wider range of people. ing.

“While this study does not tell us what other exposures contributed to patients’ adverse outcomes, the discovery of microplastics and nanoplastics in plaque tissue is itself a breakthrough that raises a series of urgent questions. “This is a remarkable discovery,” said Dr. Philip Landrigan. A biology professor at Boston University, who was not involved in the study, contributed an editorial to the New England Journal of Medicine that accompanied the study. “Should exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics be considered a cardiovascular risk factor? What organs besides the heart may be at risk? How can we reduce exposure?”

The jagged foreign objects found in the plaques of the study participants through techniques such as electron microscopy and chemical analysis contain polyethylene, a polymer used in plastic bags, containers, and bottles, and are found in 58 of the study participants. Appeared in %. Slightly more than 12% of the products also showed evidence of polyvinyl chloride in the system. PVC is used in a wide variety of products, from drain pipes to window frames, flooring, car interiors, and shoes.

How do microplastics enter our bodies?

Plastics, which have become ubiquitous around the world, enter the bloodstream by being inhaled, ingested through food and water, or absorbed through the skin.

The study found that both microplastics and nanoplastics were present in blood vessels. Microplastics are defined as debris smaller than 5 millimeters. Anything smaller than that is considered a nanoplastic. Previous research has found microplastics and nanoplastics not only in human stool but also in multiple tissues, from the placenta and lungs to the spleen and liver.

Toxic plastic additives have already been shown to harm sea turtles, birds, fish, and other wildlife, but until now there is limited data on how plastic debris affects humans. was.

According to the National Institutes of Health, microplastics are worsening due to climate change. Rising sea levels and changing ocean currents, as well as extreme weather events such as melting glaciers, can transport tiny plastic particles more widely. Additionally, increased temperatures accelerate the decomposition of plastic waste as it moves.

At Boston University, Landriganum directs the school’s Global Public Health and Common Good Program and the Earth Observatory on Global Health. He said the study should serve as both a warning siren and a call to action.

“What can doctors and other medical professionals do? The first step is to understand that the low cost and convenience of plastics are deceptive and that in reality, plastics are associated with atherosclerotic plaque-related outcomes. “It is about recognizing that we are masking significant harm, including the potential to contribute,” he wrote in a companion article to the paper. study. “We need to encourage patients to reduce their use of plastic, especially unnecessary single-use products.”