00:00Plastics, specifically microplastics, have been found in every body of water around the
00:08world, even at our planet's most remote locations.
00:11They have also been found inside our bodies as well, however a new study has discovered
00:15them in clogged arteries.
00:18Most research into microplastics derives from mouse studies, but recently Italian doctors
00:22removed fatty tissue from arterial blockages in 257 patients, finding that 60% of the removed
00:29material was rife with polyethylene, with 12% of the material containing PVC.
00:35Previous laboratory experiments have ascertained that microplastics in heart tissue cells can
00:39cause inflammation and oxidative stress that may impair heart function and cause scarring
00:44in 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.
00:54They found that 34 months later, those who had measurable microplastics in the removed
00:58arterial plaque were four and a half times more likely to have had a stroke.
01:02They were also four and a half times more likely to have had a heart attack and survive
01:06or to have died from any cause, with the researchers writing, quote, the finding of microplastics
01:11and nanoplastics in plaque tissue is itself a breakthrough discovery that raises a series
01:17of urgent questions.
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