Plastics, specifically microplastics, have been found in every body of water around the world, even at our planet’s more remote locations. They have also been found inside our bodies as well, however a new study has discovered them in clogged arteries.
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00:00Plastics, specifically microplastics, have been found in every body of water around the
00:08world, even at our planet's most remote locations.
00:11They have also been found inside our bodies as well, however a new study has discovered
00:15them in clogged arteries.
00:18Most research into microplastics derives from mouse studies, but recently Italian doctors
00:22removed fatty tissue from arterial blockages in 257 patients, finding that 60% of the removed
00:29material was rife with polyethylene, with 12% of the material containing PVC.
00:35Previous laboratory experiments have ascertained that microplastics in heart tissue cells can
00:39cause inflammation and oxidative stress that may impair heart function and cause scarring
00:44in the tissue and may also change heart rate.
00:47Researchers in this study tracked the health of the patients who had the microplastic fatty
00:51deposits removed, and the results are harrowing.
00:54They found that 34 months later, those who had measurable microplastics in the removed
00:58arterial plaque were four and a half times more likely to have had a stroke.
01:02They were also four and a half times more likely to have had a heart attack and survive
01:06or to have died from any cause, with the researchers writing, quote, the finding of microplastics
01:11and nanoplastics in plaque tissue is itself a breakthrough discovery that raises a series
01:17of urgent questions.