Researchers from Naples found that people who have blood vessels contaminated with microplastics are substantially more prone to stroke, heart attack and early death, compared with people whose arteries are free from plastic contamination.
The researchers examined the blood samples from patients with arterial disease and found evidence of tiny particles of polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
However, the study done at the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli in Naples did not prove that plastics cause heart disease.
“Our data will dramatically impact cardiovascular health if confirmed because we are defenseless against plastic pollution,” said Dr Raffaele Marfella, the first author of the study. “The only defense we have available today is prevention by reducing plastic production.”
The research was initiated when doctors noticed a rise in heart disease among people who had low chances of getting such disease.
The doctors then analyzed fatty plaques removed from 304 patients with atherosclerosis affecting the carotid arteries. They found polyethylene in 150 patients and polyvinyl chloride in 31, alongside signs of inflammation. They also noticed several jagged foreign particles in the plaques.
Later, the doctors also analyzed 257 patients who had carotid endarterectomy, a procedure to remove carotid plaques.
Marfella stated that the researchers were surprised by the presence of microplastics and were worried about its effect on cardiovascular health.
“People must become aware of the risks we are taking with our lifestyle,” he urged. “I hope the alarm message from our study will raise the consciousness of citizens, especially governments, to finally become aware of the importance of the health of our planet. To put it in a slogan that can unite the need for health for humans and the planet, plastic-free is healthy for the heart and the Earth.”
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