The opening statement is: “Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) are emerging as potential risk factors for cardiovascular disease.” “There is a lack of direct evidence that this risk extends to humans.” The details of the study are too complex to go into detail here. The bottom line is that to find his MNP in 257 patients, they analyzed the plaques using the most fanciful scientific methods. These people were followed for 34 months to see who had a heart attack or stroke or died, the study’s so-called primary endpoint (specifically deaths). Please give me the envelope. (The Oscar ceremony was just last week.)

Polyethylene, a type of plastic used in plastic bags and bottles, was found in the plaques of 150 patients, or 58%. Polyvinyl chloride, which is used in pipes (not human pipes), insulation, and medical equipment, was detected in 31 patients, or 12%. In these patients, the risk of an event, one of the primary endpoints, was 4.5 times higher than in controls without MNPs in their plaques. This is statistically very important. The authors and others writing about the study have been quick to point out that a causal link that MNP caused the incident has not been established. As one well-known cardiologist put it: This is the most definitive proof for plastics we’ve ever seen. That should be a turning point. ”

However, proving this is extremely difficult with the technology we currently have. Today, MNPs have been found in literally every geographical location studied, from Mount Everest to the deep ocean and even floating in the air. There are now so many reports that MNPs are ubiquitous and found in so many animal, marine and human tissues, it’s frightening. A recent Washington Post article states that hundreds of tons of plastic enter the environment every year. There are tons of photos of trash, mostly plastic, on beaches around the world.

The problem is not just that there are countless types of plastic. More than 10,000 chemicals are used in the production of plastics, more than 2,400 of which are potentially of concern to human health. This does not include other so-called “hitchhikers” chemicals that are absorbed by plastics and then released into the human body. Tissues that harbor his MNPs that have been identified so far include placenta, lungs, liver, blood, breast milk, and urine. We assume that he consumes his MNP per week, which is comparable to the size of a credit card.

A professor at the University of California said the next step in the research is to try to understand the mechanisms that could explain how these MNPs increase tissue inflammation and cause cardiovascular disease. . The University of Louisville medical professor said MNP contamination will continue or get worse as temperatures rise due to climate change. Increasing temperatures accelerate the degradation of MNPs and their entry into the food chain and water supply.

Dr. Philip Landrigan of Boston University’s Global Public Health Program wrote an editorial about the study. Plastic has made our lives immeasurably more convenient. However, evidence suggests that plastic is not as safe or cheap as it seems. The benefits come at significant costs to human health and the environment, and these costs are becoming increasingly evident. As everyone focuses on climate change, the plastic crisis is inadvertently growing. “The path will not be easy, but doing nothing is no longer an option.”

One thing we can all do is not use single-use plastics. I just signed another petition today asking companies to stop using Styrofoam products. DuPont Chemical Company salesman in 1935. His slogan, “A better life through chemicals,” doesn’t sound so good now.