00:04Plastics, specifically microplastics, have been found in every body of water around the world,
00:09even 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
00:23arterial blockages in 257 patients, finding that 60% of the removed material was rife with
00:30polyethylene, with 12% of the material containing PVC. Previous laboratory experiments have ascertained
00:37that microplastics in heart tissue cells can cause inflammation and oxidative stress. That may impair
00:43heart function and cause scarring in the tissue, and may also change heart rate. Researchers in this
00:48study tracked the health of the patients who had the microplastic fatty deposits removed, and the
00:52results are harrowing. They found that 34 months later, those who had measurable microplastics in
00:58the removed arterial plaque were four and a half times more likely to have had a stroke. They were
01:02also four and a half times more likely to have had a heart attack and survive, or to have died
01:07from
01:07any cause, with the researchers writing, quote, the finding of microplastics and nanoplastics in
01:13plaque tissue is itself a breakthrough discovery that raises a series of urgent questions.
01:22So,
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