Italian researchers have found a significant presence of microplastics in the blood of patients suffering from the most dangerous type of heart attack, raising questions about the role of environmental pollutants in undermining cardiovascular health.
WHAT HAPPENED: Italian researchers have found a strong association between microplastics and the most severe form of heart attack, according to a study of dozens of adults undergoing coronary angiography. The researchers detected microplastics and nanoplastics in the coronary blood of approximately 84 percent of patients who suffered a ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), compared with 32 percent of participants with healthy coronary arteries. Polyethylene, the plastic commonly used in packaging, was the most frequently identified material.
DETAIL: STEMI occurs when a coronary artery is suddenly blocked, cutting off blood flow to the heart muscle and requiring immediate emergency treatment. Patients with detectable plastic particles also had higher levels of inflammatory markers linked to plaque instability and heart attacks. Experts not involved in the study said the findings add to growing evidence that environmental pollutants may contribute to cardiovascular disease, although they stressed the research does not prove that microplastics directly cause heart attacks. The study also identified cigarette smoking and long-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution as independent factors associated with the presence of microplastics in the bloodstream, suggesting damaged lung tissue may allow the particles to enter circulation more easily. Lead author Emanuele Barbato of Sapienza University of Rome said smoking may act as both a source of toxins and a pathway for plastics to reach the blood.
KEY QUOTE: “This adds to the evidence that microplastics can lead to localized inflammatory reactions, which can raise the risk of heart attack due to plaque rupture,” commented Dr. Joyce Oen-Hsiao, a cardiologist at Yale Medicine.
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