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Plastic pollution has been found in some unexpected places in recent years, from deep-ocean environments to human tissues.
Now, scientists have detected microplastics and nanoplastics in another important location: the blood vessels that supply the heart.
A new study found that people who suffered a serious heart attack had much higher levels of these tiny plastic particles in their coronary blood than patients with other forms of heart disease or people with healthy coronary arteries.
The findings do not prove that plastic particles cause heart attacks. However, researchers say they add to growing evidence that environmental exposures may play a role in cardiovascular health.
The study examined 61 patients in Italy, comparing people who experienced an acute myocardial infarction, a type of severe heart attack, with patients who had stable chronic coronary disease and a control group with normal coronary arteries.
Micro- and nanoplastics were detected in 84 percent of heart attack patients, compared with 40 percent of patients with chronic coronary disease and 32 percent of those with normal arteries.
Heart attack patients also had higher concentrations and a wider variety of plastic types in their blood. Polyethylene, a common plastic used in packaging and consumer goods, was the most frequently detected polymer.
‘Classic risk factors’
In a press release, the study authors—Professor Emanuele Barbato from Sapienza University of Rome and Director of the Cardiology Unit of Sant’Andrea University Hospital, and Dr. Pasquale Paolisso, from Sant’Andrea Hospital Sapienza University of Rome—said, “The idea grew out of a conviction that has been building across cardiology in recent years – that the environment we live in deserves a place alongside the classic risk factors we have studied for decades.”
The researchers said cardiology has traditionally focused on risk factors such as cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes and smoking, but environmental exposures are increasingly being considered part of the broader picture of heart health.
Their study was designed to investigate whether microplastics could be found directly in coronary blood and whether levels differed depending on the severity of cardiovascular disease.
Smoking and Air Pollution
One of the most notable findings involved the combination of smoking and air pollution exposure.
Patients exposed to higher levels of fine-particle air pollution were more likely to have microplastics in their blood, and smokers were much more likely to test positive for the particles than non-smokers.
Among patients who both smoked and had higher pollution exposure, every person had detectable microplastics.
In contrast, among patients who neither smoked nor had elevated pollution exposure, plastics were detected in only about one in eight people.
‘A strong association’
The findings also raised questions about how these particles may interact with the cardiovascular system.
The researchers found that the presence of plastics was linked with higher levels of inflammatory markers in coronary blood, including interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor-α.
“These findings do not prove that microplastics cause heart attacks, but they reveal a strong association between environmental exposures, microplastics in the blood and cardiovascular disease,” Barbato said.
Questions Remain
The researchers emphasized that the study provides an association rather than proof of cause and effect, and larger studies are needed to determine whether microplastic levels can predict future cardiovascular events.
Another unanswered question is whether certain types, sizes or shapes of plastic particles may be more harmful than others.
The researchers said future studies will need to examine how plastics enter artery walls, how they may influence inflammation and whether there is a level of exposure at which cardiovascular risk increases.
They also want to better understand the many possible sources of exposure, including inhaled and ingested particles, and how different environmental pollutants may interact.
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