The terrible risks of microscopic plastic entering the body are named

Microscopic plastic may increase the risk of stroke and heart attack, says a new study. Doctors have warned of the potentially life-threatening effects of plastic pollution after finding a significantly increased risk of stroke, heart attack and early death in people whose blood vessels are contaminated with microplastics.

Researchers in Naples examined fatty plaques removed from the blood vessels of patients with artery disease and found that in more than half of them, the deposits were contaminated with tiny particles of polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

According to The Guardian, those whose plaques contained microplastics or nanoplastics were almost five times more likely to have a stroke, heart attack or death from any cause over the next 34 months compared to those whose plaques were not contaminated with plastic.

The findings don’t prove that plastic particles lead to strokes and heart attacks—people who are more exposed to pollution may be at greater risk for other reasons—but studies in animals and human cells suggest particles may be to blame.

“Our findings will have a significant impact on cardiovascular health if confirmed, because we are vulnerable to plastic pollution,” said Dr. Raffaele Marfella, first author of the study at the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli in Naples. “The only protection we have today is prevention by reducing plastic production.”

Because plastic pollution is so ubiquitous, covering the entire planet, Marfella notes that even if society succeeds in the massive task of reducing plastic pollution, any health benefits from cleanup will not be seen for many years.

Doctors began the study after noticing an increase in strokes and heart attacks in patients generally considered low risk. Marfella and his colleagues wondered whether plastic pollution could damage people’s blood vessels, causing inflammation.

In a paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine, doctors describe how they analyzed fatty plaques removed from 304 patients with carotid atherosclerosis. The carotid arteries are the main blood vessels that supply blood to the neck, face and brain. The disease causes plaque to build up in the arteries, which significantly increases the risk of stroke. The plaques can be removed using a procedure called carotid endarterectomy, The Guardian explains.

Laboratory tests of recovered plaques revealed polyethylene in 150 patients and polyvinyl chloride in 31, along with signs of inflammation. When examined under an electron microscope, the researchers found jagged foreign particles in the fat deposits, most of which were less than a thousandth of a millimeter across.

Doctors followed 257 patients for an average of 34 months after removing plaque from their carotid arteries. Those with plastic particles in their plaques were 4.5 times more likely to have a stroke or heart attack or die from any cause than those whose plaques were not contaminated with plastic.

Marfella said the discovery of plastic in the plaques was “surprising” and that the likely impact on cardiovascular health was “alarming.” The findings could explain what doctors call “residual cardiovascular risk,” he said, where 20 to 30 percent of patients treated for common risk factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes still have heart attacks and strokes. .

Further work is needed to confirm whether plastic pollution plays a role in strokes and heart attacks, but Marfella calls for greater awareness of the potential threat.

“People need to understand the risks we are taking in our way of life,” he said. “I hope that the wake-up call from our study will raise the consciousness of citizens, especially governments, so that they finally understand the importance of the health of our planet. To sum it up in a slogan that can unite the need for the health of people and the planet, “free of plastic is good for the heart and the earth.”

Holly Shiels, professor of integrative physiology at the University of Manchester, said the impact of micro- and nanoplasty on plaque formation and coronary heart disease required more attention. “It is possible that microplastics and nanoplastics, and the toxins they contain, may trigger events that lead to the development of atherosclerosis,” she said.