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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