Scientists at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, China, have collected heart tissue samples from 15 patientsundergoing cardiac surgery and the results revealed by the different imaging techniques, left everyone in suspense.
Indeed, the team found that in patient samples there were traces of thousands of individual pieces of microplastic. In addition to those introduced by the surgery, there were also traces of “foreign” plastic present in the heart tissues even before the patients underwent the surgery.
Already in the past, some had been found traces of microplastics in human bloodbut in heart tissue samples, the researchers found nine different types of plasticalso identifying microscopic particles of polymethyl methacrylate, a type of plastic that is commonly used as an unbreakable alternative to glass.
Other types of plastic, however, included polyethylene terephthalatea material used in the production of food containers and polyvinyl chloride, widespread in building and construction.
“MP detection in vivo [microplastiche] is alarming and further studies are needed to investigate how MPs enter heart tissue and the potential effects of MPs on long-term prognosis after cardiac surgery” – the researchers write in their conclusion.
Unfortunately, microplastics have been found in every corner of the earth’s environment and there is growing evidence that they are becoming increasingly more pervasive even in the human body. In fact, traces of these were found some time ago even within the human placenta.
To this day we are still trying to understand what kind of impact they may have on health human, which is why researchers continue their studies and research. It is assumed, however, that this may have a harmful effect in the long run.