By Joel D. Joseph, CEO, California Association for Recycling and author of Plastic Pollution Solution, 50 Ways to Reduce Plastic Pollution and The Age of Plastic, a book for children.
Plastic pollution is ubiquitous. It is in the air, water and soil. We get it from plastic bags, bottles, cutting boards and all types of plastic waste. Studies have shown that very small plastic particles are harming bees, reducing sperm counts in humans and causing numerous types of cancer. The New England Journal of Medicine, one of the most respected medical journals in the world, has found both polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride, in carotid artery placque. "Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events," March 6, 2024.
Polyethylene is a tough, light, flexible synthetic resin made by polymerizing ethylene, which is used chiefly for plastic bags, food containers and other packaging. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) is a tough chemically resistant synthetic resin made by polymerizing vinyl chloride and used for a wide variety of products including plastic pipes, plastic flooring and plastic sheeting.
The New England Journal of Medicine recently noted, "A total of 304 patients were enrolled in the study, and 257 completed a mean (+/- SD) follow-up of 33.7 +/- 6.9 months. Polyethylene was detected in carotid artery plaque of 150 patients (58.4%), with a mean level of 21.7 +/- 24.5 mcg per milligram of plaque; 31 patients (12.1%) also had measurable amounts of polyvinyl chloride, with a mean level of 5.2 +/- 2.4 mcg per milligram of plaque."
The article concluded, "In this study, patients with carotid artery plaque in which MNPs (micro and nano plastic particles) were detected had a higher risk of a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death from any cause at 34 months of follow-up than those in whom MNPs were not detected."
This groundbreaking new study found the presence of microplastics and nanoplastics in human arterial plaque. The presence of microplastics in plaque was associated with a 4.5-fold increase in the risk of heart attack, stroke and death. An earlier study, Nature Reviews Cardiology, Vol. 19, pages 69-70 (2021), pointed out the possible connection between plastic pollution and cardiovascular disease. This 2024 study was more conclusive, showing that humans with plastic particles in their arterial plaque had a significantly increased risk of heart attacks, stokes and death.
Julie Corliss, the Executive Editor of the Harvard Heart Letter, has warned its readers for many years of the risk to heart disease caused by plastic pollution.
Another recent study, "Microplastics: A Matter of the Heart (and Vascular System)", January 18, 2023, found that "the cardiovascular system, also if not the main target in terms of accumulation, is the main route of distribution for MPs (microplastics) and NPs (nanoplastics). Recent works presented in this review show the first detrimental effects of plastic pollution on cardiovascular function."
The study concluded, "MPs/NPs led to cardiotoxicity, pericardial oedema, and impaired heart rate in fish cardiac tissue. MPs/NPs effects on aquatic organisms pose serious health hazards and ecological consequences because they constitute the food chain for humans. Once present in the mammalian body, plastic particles can interact with circulating cells, eliciting an inflammatory response, with genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of immune cells, enhanced haemolysis, and endothelium adhesion. The interaction of MPs/NPs with plasma proteins allows their transport to distant organs, including the heart. As a consequence of plastic fragment internalisation into cardiomyocytes, oxidative stress was increased, and metabolic parameters were altered. In this scenario, myocardial damage, fibrosis and impaired electrophysiological values were observed. In summary, MPs/NPs are an environmental stressor for cardiac function in living organisms, and a risk assessment of their influence on the cardiovascular system certainly merits further analysis."
What Consumers Can Do About It
Consumers can take many steps to protect their hearts from plastic pollution:
1. Don't drink or eat out of plastic containers. Ceramic and glass dishes are good. Metal drinking containers are also an alternative to plastic;
2. Don't store food or drinks in plastic containers. Use glass jars with metal tops.
3. Don't use plastic cutting boards. Wood and glass cutting boards are excellent choices.
4. Don't use plastic straws, plastic toothpicks. Use paper straws or biodegradable plastic straws and wood toothpicks.
5. Don't wrap leftovers in plastic wrap, use glass jars or aluminum foil; and
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