What danger do microplastics pose to your health?

Microplastics should be avoided: not only a trend but a danger to your wellbeing

Many are talking about microplastics and how to avoid them, but not everyone understands what these microplastics even are. The danger of these little pieces that cannot be seen by your eyes has been talked about by various experts and activists. However, not everyone understands what these pieces are and how dangerous they can be to humans and animals.

Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic that are smaller than 5 millimeters, about the size of a sesame seed or even smaller. These small plastics come from a variety of sources. Some microplastics are made to be small for use in products like facial scrubs and toothpaste, known as microbeads. 

Others come from the breakdown of larger plastic items, such as water bottles and plastic bags, which fragment into smaller pieces over time due to sunlight, wind, and water movement. You can find microplastics almost everywhere in the environment. They are in oceans, rivers, and lakes, making their way into the water from various sources, including wastewater treatment plants, runoff from land, and direct disposal into water bodies. 

Microplastics are not just in the water; they are also found in soil, air, and even in Arctic ice. Animals, including fish and birds, often mistake microplastics for food, ingesting them. This way, microplastics can enter the food chain and potentially affect human health when people consume fish and seafood containing microplastics^[1].

Microplastics are dangerous for several reasons

Microplastics can create risks of various health issues for humans and can be considered dangerous for the environment, animals, and marine life. Firstly, they can harm live creatures in the ocean and birds that ingest them, causing physical blockages, digestive problems, and even death. 

Secondly, microplastics can carry toxic chemicals on their surface. These chemicals can come from the plastic itself or from pollutants in the water that attach to the plastic. When animals eat microplastics, these toxins can accumulate in their bodies and potentially harm them. 

There is also concern about the impact of microplastics on human health, though more research is needed to fully understand the risks. The presence of microplastics in the environment and in our food chain raises concerns about their long-term effects on ecosystems and human health^[2]. 

Despite growing recognition of microplastics and nanoplastics as environmental hazards, the health effects of these particles is still not well understood. However, researchers focus on exploring that. Microplastics are now being researched more, and the effect of their consumption is linked to various health issues. Researchers found that microplastics in arterial plaque were associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke and can cause death.

Microplastics can be linked to an increased risk of heart issues like stroke

The first-of-a-kind research identified microplastics in human arterial plaque and linked them to adverse cardiovascular outcomes like heart attack and stroke. The study published this month is a new space and can be a wake-up call, says Dr. Rick Ferraro, who was not affiliated with the research^[3].

According to the experts, this is a correlation that doesn’t prove causation. Finding microplastics in plaque already raises concerns, and the association with subsequent cardiac outcomes can be extremely striking. The study claims that 60 percent of patients had microplastics in arteries.

“The major findings of the study were two: first, the identification of nanoplastics in the atherosclerotic plaques; second, the patients with atherosclerotic plaques contaminated by nanoplastics had a greater incidence of cardiovascular events as myocardial infarction, stroke, or death than patients who did not have evidence of nanoplastics within the atheroma plaque,”said Dr. Raffaele Marfella, a professor of medicine at Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli in Italy, and first author of the study.

The study states that the research team looked at samples of arterial plaque from more than 250 patients undergoing a plaque removal surgery, also known as a carotid endarterectomy. During the study team found the presence of polyethylene microplastics in nearly 60% of patients, while polyvinyl chloride microplastics were discovered in 12 percent of patients. These two are commonly manufactured forms of plastic and get used in everything from bottles to construction materials.

Over 380 million tons of plastics are produced every year

The mentioned study lasted about 34 months after surgery. People found with tiny plastic particles in their blood vessels were 4.5 times more likely to have serious heart problems, like heart attacks, strokes, or even die, compared to people without these plastics in their vessels. However, this study didn't prove that the tiny plastics were the cause of these health issues.

The research focused on patients who already needed surgery because of significant blockages in their neck arteries. Dr. Aaron Aday, a vascular medicine expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and not involved in the study, found the results alarming, especially regarding the risk of heart problems in patients with these plastic particles.

Every year, over 380 million tons of plastic are made because it's very strong and lasts a long time. When plastic starts to break down, it releases very small plastic bits into the environment. These tiny plastics, known as microplastics (smaller than 5 millimeters) and nanoplastics (smaller than 1000 nanometers), have been found almost everywhere - from breast milk to deep ocean trenches and even in places not visited by people for decades, like a cave in Missouri.

These tiny plastics are now in the food we eat, the water we drink, and even the air we breathe, raising concerns about their effects on our health. These studies raise even more concerns. Dr. Aday noted that these small plastics can get into our bodies and have been found in our organs, including the heart. 

Studies in animals have shown they can damage the heart and blood vessels, but until now, there haven't been large studies on their effects on human health. This recent study suggests a link, but more research is needed to confirm the impact of microplastics on heart health.

Health experts call for more detailed information on the participants' backgrounds and environments, as there are significant differences in who is affected by environmental pollutants. The current study mainly involved participants from one location and of the same ethnic group. Understanding how microplastics affect people in different parts of the world and from various backgrounds is crucial for assessing their global health risks.