Mircoplastics in cardiovascular events

Detectable levels of microplastics are in almost everyone. That includes pregnant women and their fetuses. A 2022 study found that 75% of 34 breast milk samples had microplastics that were less than five millimeters in diameter. Microplastics have also been found in baby poop, blood, placentas, and lung tissue. The Lancet (eBioMedicine) reports that microplastics have now been found in blood clots (thrombi) that cause ischemic stroke (IS), myocardial infarction (MI - heart attack), or deep vein thrombosis (DVT):
Findings
MPs [microplastics] were detected by Py-GC/MS [analysis machinery] in 80% (24/30) of the thrombi obtained from patients with IS, MI, or DVT, with median concentrations of 61.75 μg/g, 141.80 μg/g, and 69.62 μg/g, respectively. Among the 10 target types of MP [microplastic] polymers, polyamide 66 (PA66), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyethylene (PE) were identified. Further analyses suggested that higher concentrations of MPs may be associated with greater disease severity (adjusted β = 7.72, 95% CI: 2.01–13.43, p < 0.05). The level of D-dimer in the MP-detected group was significantly higher than that in the MP-undetected group (8.3 ± 1.5 μg/L vs 6.6 ± 0.5 μg/L, p < 0.001). Additionally, LDIR analysis showed that PE was dominant among the 15 types of identified MPs, accounting for 53.6% of all MPs, with a mean diameter of 35.6 μm. The shapes of the polymers detected using LDIR and SEM were found to be heterogeneous.

Interpretation
This study presents both qualitative and quantitative evidence of the presence of MPs, and their mass concentrations, polymer types, and physical properties in thrombotic diseases through the use of multimodal detection methods. Higher concentrations of MPs may be associated with increased disease severity. Future research with a larger sample size is urgently needed to identify the sources of exposure and validate the observed trends in the study.
This small study (n = 30) only found correlation of thrombi with possibly more severe heart attack. As the study points out, replication of this in a larger study is urgently needed. It may turn out to be the case that higher levels of microplastics in blood can worsen at least some worsening of heart attacks.  

Also, has anyone noticed the new recycling propaganda campaign that the plastics industry is running on cable TV? It looks like this:


In the 1980s, the recycling propaganda looked like this:


As awareness of the possible dangers of microplastics grows, the plastics industry has gone into a panic mode and remounted the old lie that single use plastics can be recycled. It was the case in the late 1980s when the plastics industry started claiming that recycling was the solution to their pollution. That was a lie in the 1980s and it remains a lie in 2024. At present, less than 10% of single use plastics are recycled. That was the case in the 1980s too. 


Industry: Plastics are recyclable
Fact check:


Fun factoids: 0% of plastic coffee pods are recycled because they are not recyclable. Also, plastic cutlery and those red plastic beer cups at keggers are not recycled for the same reason.

0% recyclable

0% recyclable



By Germaine: Snarling watchdog defending the public interest

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