Plastic is everywhere. On your kitchen counter, in your car, in your medicine cabinet. And potentially even in your veins.
Recent research has found that patients whose carotid artery plaque contained micro and nano plastics were at a much higher risk of suffering a major cardiovascular event and death. Indeed, risks increased fourfold when plastic was present.
The study was also the first to show that plastic particles are now adulterating atheroma plaques, a fatty material made of proteins, cholesterol, and various other substances (but does not traditionally contain plastic). Researchers also found that among 304 patients who had their plaques tested, micro and nano plastic was present in nearly 60 percent.
Currently, researchers are stopping short of conclusively blaming plastic for the increased risk of serious cardiovascular events, which, besides death, includes strokes and myocardial infarction (meaning the complete cessation of blood to myocardium heart tissue). While researchers controlled for some factors, such as diabetes and hypertension, they noted that causality has not yet been proven. Still, early research suggests very tiny bits of plastic may be a very big concern.
So how might microplastics get into your bloodstream in the first place? Researchers elsewhere have suggested that contaminated food, water, and air could be a source. So too could toothpaste, lip gloss, and even dental polymers. Ultimately, more research is needed to pin down just how much of a risk plastic poses and how it can get into our bodies.