Microscopic pieces of plastic floating in UK waters have been linked to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes in worrying new research published today.
Experts suggested tiny pieces of plastic, known as microplastics, could be entering the body via drinking water and the environment, and releasing damaging toxins into its tissues.
In the study, researchers found that people living in costal regions with very high concentrations of microplastics in the water were more likely to suffer from a stroke, type two diabetes and heart disease.
The researchers found that those living in regions along the Atlantic coast—such as Cornwall, Devon, Pembrokeshire and the Outer Hebrides—had a higher prevalence of these illnesses than those on the Pacific coast.
The Atlantic ocean was also found to contain more microplastics than the Pacific.
Dr Sarju Ganatra, senior author of the study and medical director of sustainability at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts, said: ‘This is one of the first large-scale studies to suggest that living near waters heavily polluted with microplastics may be linked to chronic health conditions.’
While the experts only studied US counties, they found that those living along the Atlantic coast—which borders the west coast of England—experienced very high levels of pollution which were linked with a number of diseases.
In this area, every sample of seawater, about the size of a bathtub, could contain over 10 plastic particles, according to the study.
Scientists, who compared levels of tiny pieces of plastic in water across different parts of the US, found the areas with the highest levels had increased rates of stroke, heart attack and diabetes
The study found that those living in counties with very high levels of microplastic pollution had nine per cent more strokes and were 18 per cent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, a condition which is known to double the risk of heart disease including heart attacks.
Residents living in these costal regions also experienced a seven per cent increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), a build up of plaque in the arteries that can lead to stroke or heart attack.
Researchers found that residents living on the coast in Charlotte County, Florida, which borders the Gulf of Mexico—another ocean found to be rife with microplastics—experienced nearly double the risk of heart disease, than those living inland.
Whilst the study focused on pollution in sea water, Dr Ganatra said: ‘Pollution isn’t limited to the sea.
‘Microplastics are everywhere: in drinking water, in the food we eat, especially seafood, and even in the air we breathe.’
The experts admitted that the new study cannot directly prove microplastics are causing the increased rate of cardiometabolic diseases, and said further research was needed.
However, Dr Ganatra warned that ‘microplastic pollution affects us all, regardless of where we live’.
The study found the increased risk of cardiometabolic disease—including heart attack, stroke and diabetes—remained even when factors like age, access to doctors and other environmental considerations were accounted for.
Experts say you can cut your exposure to microplastics by swapping out plastics in your home for natural materials, metal and glass
Dr Ganatra added that scientists are only beginning to understand the full impact of microplastics on health.
He said: ‘This study adds to a growing body of evidence that the garbage we discard into the environment often finds its way back to us. It’s time to shift from awareness to action.
‘We urge policymakers to view plastic pollution as an environmental crisis as well as a potential health crisis.’
In the study, experts compared microplastic content in seawater by looking at the number of individual pieces found in a cubic metre of liquid in 152 coastal counties along the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
Areas with the highest levels of microplastics contained 10 or more plastic particles in every sample of seawater.
In areas with the lowest pollution, scientists described the pollution as ‘maybe one tiny speck in 200 bathtubs of water’.
This isn’t the first study to link microplastics to cardiometabolic diseases, with some research even suggesting the issue could be getting worse.
In January, Chinese researchers found that microplastics could cause deadly blood clots to form in the brain, increasing the risk of stroke.
The study adds to growing evidence linking these toxic particles to serious health risks, including heart attacks, blood clots and dementia. Microplastics – tiny fragments from industrial processes or degrading plastics – are now widespread in the ocean, the food chain and the water supply
It is thought that microplastics enter the body via consumption of food products, drinking water and even the air.
Inside the body, these ‘jagged-edged’ pieces of plastic can stick to the plaque lining the blood vessels, blocking the arteries and leading to an increased risk of heart attack or stroke.
Research published earlier this year found that stroke victims have more than 50 times the amount of microplastics in their arteries compared with healthy individuals.
The scientists divided 50 of the trial participants by the level of plaque build-up they had in their carotid arteries – the major blood vessels on either side of the neck that supply blood to the head and brain.
Participants with high levels of plaque were found to have nearly 16 times more microplastic build-up in their necks, the researchers revealed.
Those who had experienced symptoms from this build-up – whether temporary vision loss or stroke – had more than 50 times the amount of microplastics as those with no plaque at all.
