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  • 6/17/2025
Plastics, specifically microplastics, have been found in every body of water around the world, even at our planet’s more remote locations. They have also been found inside our bodies as well, however a new study has discovered them in clogged arteries.

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00:00Plastics, specifically microplastics, have been found in every body of water around the world,
00:08even at our planet's most remote locations. They have also been found inside our bodies as well.
00:14However, a new study has discovered them in clogged arteries. Most research into microplastics
00:19derives from mouse studies, but recently Italian doctors removed fatty tissue from arterial
00:24blockages in 257 patients, finding that 60% of the removed material was rife with polyethylene,
00:31with 12% of the material containing PVC. Previous laboratory experiments have ascertained that
00:37microplastics in heart tissue cells can cause inflammation and oxidative stress. That may
00:42impair heart function and cause scarring in the tissue, and may also change heart rate.
00:47Researchers in this study tracked the health of the patients who had the microplastic fatty
00:51deposits removed, and the results are harrowing. They found that 34 months later, those who had
00:56measurable microplastics in the removed arterial plaque were four and a half times more likely
01:01to have had a stroke. They were also four and a half times more likely to have had a heart attack
01:05and survive, or to have died from any cause. With the researchers writing, quote,
01:10the finding of microplastics and nanoplastics in plaque tissue is itself a breakthrough discovery
01:15that raises a series of urgent questions.
01:21Helene
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