Studies: Microplastics in body linked to heart attacks, strokes, cancer

Numerous research findings indicate a significant link between the presence of microplastics or nanoplastics in the human body and severe health outcomes, including heart diseases, strokes, and cancers.

A pivotal study featured in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated that individuals with nanoplastic particles in their carotid artery tissues—a crucial artery network that supplies blood to the brain—were at a double risk of experiencing heart attacks or strokes within a three-year span compared to those without these particles. The study involved analyzing tissue samples from 257 patients undergoing surgery to remove arterial blockages in their necks, known as carotid endarterectomy.

Raffaele Marfella, the principal investigator of the study and a professor at the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli in Naples, Italy, emphasized that this research is pioneering in drawing connections between plastic pollution and human diseases. The findings underscore the significant presence of plastics in individuals with atherosclerosis and their association with cardiovascular events.

Microplastics and their smaller counterparts, nanoplastics, are tiny fragments of plastic materials. Microplastics are defined as particles less than 5 millimeters down to 1 micron in size, while nanoplastics are even smaller, measurable in nanometers. The concern with nanoplastics, in particular, is their potential for greater harm to human health due to their minuscule size allowing them to penetrate biological barriers more easily.

Research involving pregnant mice has shown that plastic particles can reach the vital organs of unborn fetuses shortly after maternal exposure. Other scientific studies have observed that exposure to these tiny plastic particles can cause oxidative stress, tissue damage, and inflammation in organisms. There are also indications from animal studies that microplastics and nanoplastics can disrupt normal heart functioning and heart rates.

In humans, nanoparticles have been detected in various tissues and bodily fluids, including blood, lungs, liver, urine, feces, breast milk, and even the placenta. Despite these findings, the full impact of plastic particles on organ function and overall health remains unclear.

Another significant discovery reported in the journal Chemosphere is that microplastics and nanoplastics can persist within cells longer than previously believed, being transferred to new cells during cell division. This study also highlighted the potential of these particles to exacerbate cancer progression by facilitating the migration of cancer cells to other body parts, thereby increasing the risk of tumor metastasis.