Microplastics used in food packaging and paint were first discovered in the human heart.
The particles, which are less than five millimeters long, are repelled by single-use plastics such as bottles and food packaging, and are then released into the air, water and food around us.
A team from Beijing Anzhen Hospital in China collected heart tissue samples from 15 patients undergoing heart surgery, as well as blood samples taken before and after surgery.
Microplastics were found in all blood samples and heart tissue. They are believed to have been inhaled or ingested. In the blood, the plastics can attach to the outer membrane of red blood cells and affect their ability to carry oxygen.
She have also been linked to the development of cancer, heart disease and dementia, as well as fertility problems. Cells cannot break down plastic particles in the body, leading to significant inflammation.
It comes after a recent study found that the average person inhales a credit card’s worth of microplastics every week.
Microplastics are tiny plastic particles less than five millimeters long that are repelled by single-use plastics such as bottles and food packaging, which are then released into the air, water and food around us
After surgery, the study participants’ blood samples contained smaller but greater variety of plastics, suggesting that some microplastics were introduced into the body during the surgery.
Nine types of plastic were found in five types of heart tissue. Tens of thousands of individual pieces of microplastic were discovered using laser and infrared imaging, but the amounts varied by patient.
Microscopic particles of poly(methyl methacrylate) – a plastic often used as a shatter-resistant alternative to glass – were found in three different areas of the heart, which the researchers say “cannot be attributed to accidental exposure during surgery.”
Other plastics found included polyethylene terephthalate, used in clothing and food containers, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), commonly found in window frames, plumbing pipes, paint and more.
The scientists wrote: ‘The detection of MPs (microplastics) in vivo is alarming and more studies are needed to investigate how the MPs enter the heart tissues and the possible effects of MPs on the long-term prognosis after cardiac surgery.’
She added that their research, published in the journal Environmental science and technologyshows that invasive medical procedures such as cardiac surgery are an overlooked route by which plastics enter the body.
Microplastics have been spotted in the most desolate parts of the world, including the Alps, Antarctica and the ‘death zone’ of Mount Everest.
Scientists have previously discovered microplastics in the lungs, brains and blood of living and deceased people, but how much plastic ends up in our bodies is still up for debate.
The particles can enter the human body through mouths, noses and other entrances.
It is feared that they could cause babies to become dangerously underweight.