Study links nanoplastics to heart attacks, strokes and premature death

People with microplastics or nanoplastics in their carotid artery tissue are twice as likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke or die from any cause within the next three years than people who don’t have them, a study finds.

The carotid arteries, which are found on each side of the neck and carry blood to the brain, can become clogged with fatty cholesterol plaques in a similar way to the arteries leading to the heart, a process known as atherosclerosis.

“To date, our study is the first to link plastic contamination to human disease,” said Raffaele Marfella, lead author of the study published March 6 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

“Our data must be confirmed by other studies and in larger populations,” said Marfella, professor of internal medicine and director of the department of medical and surgical sciences at the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, in Naples, Italy. “However, our study convincingly highlights the presence of plastics and their association with cardiovascular events in a representative population affected by atherosclerosis.”

Pediatrician Dr. Philip Landrigan, professor of biology at Boston College and director of the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good and the Global Observatory for Planetary Health, said the study provided evidence that these plastics may be associated with cardiovascular diseases in humans.

“Although we do not know what other exposures may have contributed to the adverse outcomes among patients in this study, the discovery of microplastics and nanoplastics in plaque tissue is, in itself, a revolutionary finding that raises a number of urgent questions,” Landrigan wrote. in an editorial accompanying the study.

“Should exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics be considered a cardiovascular risk factor? What organs, other than the heart, might be at risk? How can we reduce exposure?” asked Landrigan, who was not involved in the new study.

“What’s common knowledge is that many plastics, from bicycle helmets and blood bags to drinking water pipes and wind turbines, help protect us, improve health care outcomes and contribute to a more sustainable world.” , said Kimberly Wise White, vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs at the American Chemistry Council, an industry association.

“To help reduce new sources of microplastics in our environment, plastic manufacturers are aiming for all US plastic packaging to be reused, recycled or recovered by 2040. To achieve this, we are investing billions of dollars improving infrastructure and advocating for effective policies that help collect and recycle more used plastics to prevent them from entering our environment,” Wise White said in an email to CNN.

The dangers of small plastic particles

Microplastics are fragments of polymers that can vary between less than 5 millimeters and 1 micrometer. Any smaller fragment is a nanoplastic that must be measured in billionths of a meter.

Nanoplastics are the most worrying plastics for human health, experts say. With a width of a thousand times the average width of a human hair, the tiny pieces can migrate through the tissues of the digestive tract or lungs into the bloodstream.

From there, nanoplastics can invade individual cells and tissues of major organs, potentially disrupting cellular processes and depositing endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as bisphenols, phthalates, flame retardants, heavy metals, and per- and polyfluorinated substances, or PFAS.

In studies of pregnant rats, researchers found plastic chemicals in the brain, heart, liver, kidneys and lungs of the developing fetus 24 hours after the pregnant mother ingested or breathed in plastic particles. Other research has shown that micro- and nanoplastics can cause oxidative stress, tissue damage and inflammation in cells, while animal studies have shown that these particles can alter heart rhythm and impede heart function.

Nanoplastics have been found in human blood, lung and liver tissue, urine and feces, breast milk and the placenta. However, to date, science has not yet been able to determine the impact these polymers can have on the body’s organs and functions.

“Currently, there is no scientific consensus on the potential health impacts of nano- and microplastic particles. Therefore, media articles based on assumptions and conjecture do nothing more than unnecessarily scare people,” said a spokesperson from the International Bottled Water Association, an industry association, in an email message to CNN.

A recent study revealed that one liter of bottled water – the equivalent of two full-sized bottled waters typically purchased by consumers – contained an average of 240,000 plastic particles from seven types of plastics – 90% were nanoplastics.

“It’s important to note that bottled water is just one of thousands of food and beverage products packaged in plastic containers,” the spokesperson said. “The biggest sources of microplastics in the environment are the erosion and abrasion of synthetic rubber tires, synthetic textiles (e.g. washing clothes made from polyester) and the decomposition of urban and household waste.”

A unique approach to a study

The new study examined tissue taken from the neck arteries of 257 people who underwent carotid endarterectomy.

“It’s kind of a barbaric procedure. Surgeons open up the carotid artery and literally dissect all the gunk, the plaque, that has built up there,” said Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver. Freeman was not involved in the investigation.

Access to this tissue allowed researchers to use an electron microscope to look for tiny particles. The examination found “visible foreign particles with irregular edges” scattered in the plaque and external debris resulting from the surgery, according to the study.

Measurable amounts of polyethylene, a common plastic used in plastic wrap, plastic bags and food and drink containers, were found in the plaque tissues of 150 people who participated in the study.

Some samples also contained chlorine, used to treat swimming pool water and in the production of hundreds of consumer products, such as paper, paints, textiles and insecticides. Samples from another 31 patients also had measurable amounts of polyvinyl chloride, also known as PVC or vinyl.

Participants with micro- and nanoplastics in their bodies were followed for 34 months. In addition to being twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke or to die early from any cause, the plaque tissue showed signs of increased inflammation, said Phoebe Stapleton, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Ernest Mario. School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey. Stapleton was not involved in the new study.

“Inflammation is linked to a number of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease. The presence of microplastics and nanoplastics, and subsequent inflammation, may increase susceptibility to these chronic diseases,” Stapleton said in an email.

However, calling the study results “a direct link to cardiovascular disease is a stretch of the conclusions,” he added. “I think with more work we may find that these exposures are a risk factor… more particles, more inflammation, more risk of negative consequences.”

Limit exposure to plastic

Avoiding plastic contamination is “a challenge, if not impossible”, but “each of us, in our own small way, can start using less plastic and orient our daily choices towards other materials”.

There are other steps you can take to reduce exposure to phthalates and other chemicals in foods and packaging products, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics statement on food additives and children’s health.

“One is to reduce our plastic footprint by using stainless steel and glass containers whenever possible,” said Dr. Leonardo Trasande, director of environmental pediatrics at NYU Langone Health, in a prior interview with CNN.

“Avoid microwaving food or drinks in plastic, including infant formula and human milk, and do not put plastic in the dishwasher, because the heat can cause chemicals to leach,” said Trasande, who is also the lead author of the American Academy of Pediatrics statement on food additives and children’s health.

“Look at the recycling code on the bottom of products to find the type of plastic, and avoid plastics with recycling codes 3, which typically contain phthalates,” he added. Phthalates, known as “everywhere chemicals” because they are so common, are one of the chemicals used in the manufacture of what are known to be hormone disruptors.

One possible measure is to reduce the use of single-use plastics, suggests the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group. Other suggestions include taking reusable bags to the grocery store; invest in a fabric bag with a zipper and ask the dry cleaner to return your clothes in that bag, instead of wrapped in thin plastic sheets; Bring a travel mug to the local coffee shop and cutlery to work, reducing the use of plastic cups and utensils.