Study Finds Elevated Microplastics in Blood of Heart Attack Patients

Researchers in Italy published a study in the European Heart Journal showing that micro‑ and nanoplastics are present in the coronary blood of most patients who have suffered a heart attack. The particles were detected in 84 % of heart‑attack patients, compared with 40 % of those with stable coronary disease and 32 % of individuals with normal arteries. Smokers were six times more likely to have detectable plastics, and exposure to high air‑pollution levels further increased the likelihood. Polyethylene was the most common polymer identified, and higher inflammatory markers were observed in patients with plastics in their blood.

Separate research by environmental chemist Cassandra Rauert at the University of Queensland highlighted methodological challenges in measuring human microplastics. Her work showed that lipids in blood can produce false‑positive signals for polyethylene and that laboratory plastics can contaminate samples, potentially inflating reported levels. The study called for standardized protocols to ensure more accurate assessments of microplastic exposure in humans.