Plus, a study had promising results on a DIY method of removing microplastics from water.
They’ve been found in our rivers, soil, even our food. Now, researchers have found microplastics lodged in our blood vessels — and they suspect these tiny particles may be behind some serious heart conditions. We’re taking a closer look at what experts are calling a “landmark” study.
Could microplastics be linked to heart attack and stroke?
In a study published in March in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists at the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli in Italy examined 257 patients, who had plaque — the fatty substance that can build and eventually block blood vessels — removed from arteries in their necks.
Microplastics are known to be attracted to fat molecules, so the researchers wondered whether the particles could also be found hiding in these clumps of cholesterol. In about 60 percent of the participants, they were.
The research team also determined that those who did have the substances lurking in their plaque were 4.5 times more likely to experience a heart attack, stroke, or death in the following 34 months. They also had higher levels of inflammation.
“This is a landmark trial,” Robert Brook, a physician-scientist at Wayne State University studying environmental impacts on cardiac health, tells Scientific American. “This will be the launching pad for further studies across the world to corroborate, extend, and delve into the degree of the risk that micro- and nanoplastics pose.”
The authors of the paper, however, did caution that although they may have found a link between microplastics and heart disease, it doesn’t prove that the substances directly caused heart attacks or strokes.
How to remove microplastics from water
These tiny bits of plastic have been shown to enter the body through our food and water, and scientists have been concerned about whether or not they pose a health risk. Unfortunately, not much is known on that front, but some experts have suggested trying to limit your plastic intake.
One way to do that is to ditch bottled water, which “contain thousands of microplastic particles per liter,” Stephanie Wright, an environmental toxicologist at Imperial College, told The Guardian.
Another strategy that’s had promising results is boiling and filtering your water. Researchers in a paper published in February said they were able to remove 90 percent of microplastics from tap water using the method. They found that at high temperatures, some of the common minerals within tap water become solid and encrusted with the plastic, which can then all be removed using a coffee filter.
The authors of the paper told the Washington Post that more research needs to be done to determine the benefits of boiling water. But if you want to give it a shot, they recommend waiting up to 10 minutes after bringing the water to a boil to allow the solids to settle before running it through a filter.
