Italian Study Detects Microplastics in 84% of 61 Severe Heart Attack Patients

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 23

Italian researchers found detectable micro- and nanoplastics in the blood of nearly 84% of 61 patients suffering an active severe heart attack during coronary angiograms.
The comparison group showed far lower rates—40% in patients with chronic heart disease and 32% in people with normal coronary arteries—pointing to a strong association with acute cardiac events.
polyethylene appeared in 97% of patients who tested positive, while a history of smoking emerged as the strongest predictor of detectable plastic particles in the blood.
Experts said the European Heart Journal study adds to evidence linking microplastics to cardiovascular harm, but stressed it was observational, small and limited to one country, so it does not prove plastics cause heart attacks.
Doctors advising on exposure reduction recommended practical steps such as switching to glass food containers, avoiding heating food in plastic and cutting back on single-use plastic bottles.