Research indicates that the presence of microplastics and nanoplastics in the plaque within significant blood vessels in the neck is associated with an elevated risk of heart attacks, strokes, or death. This new study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, is the first to establish a connection between these minuscule plastic particles, which result from plastic pollution degradation, and cardiovascular diseases.
Microplastics, smaller than 5 millimeters, and even tinier nanoplastics, detectable only with special microscopes, are now omnipresent, found in environments ranging from Antarctic snow to the Marianas Trench and even in human blood, breast milk, and various tissues. The study, led by Dr. Raffaele Marfella from the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli in Naples, Italy, aimed to identify new risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. It postulated that micro- and nanoplastics might also damage human arteries, considering the extensive plastic pollution on the planet.
The research focused on patients undergoing surgery for carotid artery stenosis, a condition where blood flow is obstructed by plaque in the arteries that supply blood to the brain, face, and neck. Analyzing plaque from 257 patients and monitoring their health for an average of 34 months post-surgery, the researchers found that patients with detectable plastic particles had nearly a five times higher risk of cardiovascular events.
Experimental studies have previously shown that these plastic particles can exacerbate diseases. This particular study is distinguished for its detailed analysis of a large group of patients and for its long-term health tracking. However, it only shows a correlation between plastic particles and cardiovascular events, not causation.
Despite this limitation, the study suggests a possible link between micro- and nanoplastics and heart disease. Increased inflammation markers correlated with higher levels of plastics in the plaque were observed, though it is unclear whether the inflammation is directly caused by nanoplastics.
This research, although specific to a particular patient group, could inspire future studies to determine if micro- and nanoplastics in the general population relate to cardiac events. Additionally, more studies are planned for other types of human tissue. The possibility of laboratory contamination of the plaque samples is acknowledged, suggesting future research should be conducted in clean rooms to validate these findings.
Dr. Martha Gulati from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles hopes this study and subsequent research will bring much-needed attention to the relationship between environmental factors and cardiovascular health.