Heart Attacks Linked to the Presence of Microplastics in the Blood
A new Italian study has revealed a striking link between the accumulation of microplastics in the blood and an increased risk of acute heart attacks. This finding comes from research conducted by a team at Sant’Andrea University Hospital and the University of Campania, with results published in the European Heart Journal.
The study included 61 patients divided into three groups: those receiving emergency treatment for a heart attack accompanied by arterial blockage, those suffering from chronic coronary syndromes, and individuals with healthy coronary arteries as a control group. The results showed that micro- and nanoplastics were found in the blood of 84 percent of patients with acute heart attacks, compared to only 40 percent of heart patients not experiencing an acute attack, and 32 percent of those with healthy arteries.
Dr. Emanuele Barbano, the lead researcher from Sapienza University of Rome, clarified that the results “do not prove that microplastics cause heart attacks, but they reveal a strong association between environmental exposure, the presence of these plastics in the blood, and the development of cardiovascular diseases.”
• Air pollution exposure: All patients who combined smoking with regular exposure to polluted air showed detectable levels of microplastics at a rate of 100 percent, compared to only one in eight individuals who did not combine these two factors.
Researchers noted that the highest concentrations of plastics were detected in blood samples drawn directly from the site of arterial blockage in heart attack patients, reinforcing the hypothesis that these particles may accumulate at the site of injury itself, rather than solely in the general bloodstream.
These findings extend a previous study conducted by the same team in 2024, which linked the presence of microplastics in carotid artery plaques to an increased risk of up to 4.5 times for heart attack, stroke, or death within a few years. The researchers emphasized that, despite the small sample size and the observational nature of the current study—which does not establish direct causality—it adds further evidence to a growing body of research linking plastic pollution to cardiovascular health.
