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People who survived severe heart attacks were found to have higher levels of small plastic particles in their blood, providing early evidence that plastic pollution may be an overlooked cardiovascular threat.
Researchers at the University of Campania in Italy also found higher levels of microplastics and nanoplastics in the blood of smokers and people exposed to high levels of air pollution.
The results of this small new study add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that small plastic particles can affect heart health.
Scientists detected microplastics and nanoplastics (tiny plastic debris from packaging, clothing, and other everyday items) in the blood supplying the heart of 84% of heart attack patients studied.
By comparison, only 40 percent of patients with chronic ischemic heart disease and 32 percent of patients with normal coronary arteries were found to have microplastics and nanoplastics. European Heart Journal.
The research team studied a small sample of 61 patients in Italy, recording whether each person smoked and how much air pollution they had been exposed to over the past two years.
They took blood samples from patients from blood vessels that supply blood to the heart and other parts of the body.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Pasquale Paolisso from Sapienza University of Rome Sant’Andrea Hospital, said microplastics are now found “almost everywhere in the environment, including the air we breathe, the water we drink, and much of the food we consume.”
Professor Richard Thompson, Director of Plymouth Marine Laboratory, analyzes nurdles and other microplastics (AFP via Getty Images)
“In recent years, scientists have begun to detect these particles in human tissues and organs, raising concerns about their potential health effects,” Dr. Paolisso said.
But researchers say “little” is known about whether these tiny plastic particles are present in the blood flowing through the arteries that supply the heart.
The study found that smokers were six times more likely to have plastic in their blood, and people exposed to higher levels of air pollution over longer periods of time were more likely to have microplastics in their blood.
All patients who smoked and lived in environments with high air pollution had plastic in their blood, while one in eight patients who did not smoke and were not exposed to polluted air had plastic in their blood. Researchers said this pattern suggests that smoking and pollution may make it easier for particles to enter the bloodstream from the lungs.
Heart attack patients also appeared to have different types of plastic in their blood, with the most common type being polyethylene, which is widely used in packaging.
However, this study stopped short of establishing a causal link between microplastics and nanoplastics and heart attacks.
“While these findings do not prove that microplastics cause heart attacks, they do reveal a strong link between environmental exposure, microplastics in the blood, and cardiovascular disease,” said study author Emanuele Barbato from Sapienza University of Rome.
“In our study, smoking history was strongly associated with microplastics in the blood. Our findings suggest that smoking may make it easier for microplastics and nanoplastics to enter the bloodstream via the lungs. Air pollution may have a similar effect,” Barbato said.
Other researchers urged caution about how plastics are measured.
Kevin Thomas, professor and director of the Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Queensland, said the technology used could not reliably distinguish between some plastics and natural fats in blood.
Biologists examine microplastics in marine life (AFP via Getty Images)
“It’s plausible that endogenous lipids (fats) in the blood are being mistaken for plastic,” Professor Thomas told the Australian Science Media Center, adding that the headline could read as “‘Lipids increased in blood of patients suffering heart attack.'”
Ian Shaw, emeritus professor of toxicology at the University of Canterbury, said the study was well-conducted but was experimental given the small number of patients.
He said the higher concentrations of plastic in heart attack patients did not prove that the particles were the cause of the disease, as unmeasured factors related to plastic could be the culprit.
“Microplastics are likely to trigger an inflammatory response, as evidenced by elevated biochemical inflammatory markers in our study. This points to a reliable mechanism for the link between microplastics and heart disease,” he said.
Professor Shaw said the discovery that plastic appeared even in patients with healthy arteries showed how widespread exposure to plastic was.
Microplastics are emitted from packaging, car tires, clothing, household products, and personal care products and have become so widespread that they are now found in food, drinking water, and the air. People ingest them through food, breathing, and skin.
Jeroen Dowse, professor of public health at Massey University, said while the study focused on inhaled plastic, diet could be another major route into the body that could be just as important as heart risks.
Professor Barbato said the results strengthen the case for treating plastic pollution as a health issue rather than just an environmental issue.
“Policies that reduce air pollution, tobacco exposure, and environmental plastic pollution may have benefits beyond protecting the environment and may improve cardiovascular health,” he said.
Scientists not involved in the study welcomed the findings showing a strong link between plastic exposure and heart disease.
“While these findings do not directly prove that plastics cause heart attacks, they do strengthen the scientific evidence that plastic pollution is an emerging public health problem that deserves serious attention,” said Taba Palanisami, a plastics researcher at the University of Newcastle in Australia.
