Jakarta –
Microplastics have been discovered for the first time in the human heart and its innermost tissues. The consequences of finding microplastics in the heart for human health are still unknown. But this latest study is yet another grim reminder of how serious the world’s plastic pollution is.
In one study, scientists at 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.
“Using a number of different imaging techniques, the team detected tens to thousands of microplastic bits in most of the tissue samples,” the report said. IFL Science.
While it is clear that the surgical process did introduce a microplastic material, there is also evidence that the foreign plastic material was embedded in the tissue long before the patient was placed on the operating table.
For starters, all blood samples contained microplastics. Blood samples taken after surgery contain microplastics with smaller sizes and have a more diverse type of plastic. This suggests that some microplastics enter the body during surgery.
From the tissue samples, the researchers found nine types of plastic in five types of heart tissue. Some of these microplastics were already present before any surgery was performed.
The team identified microscopic particles of polymethyl methacrylate, a plastic commonly used as a shatter-resistant alternative to glass, present in left atrial appendages, epicardial adipose tissue, and pericardial adipose tissue. They said the microplastic findings could not be linked to accidental exposure during surgery.
Other types of plastics found in the samples include polyethylene terephthalate, which is widely used in clothing and food containers, and polyvinyl chloride which is pervasive in building and construction.
“The detection of microplastic (MP) in vivo is worrisome, and further studies are needed to investigate how MP enters cardiac tissue and the potential effect of MP on long-term prognosis after cardiac surgery,” said the authors in their conclusion.
Microplastics have been found in nearly every nook and cranny of Earth’s environment, from the ice of Antarctica to the snow in the Arctic. There is increasing evidence that microplastics are also increasingly pervasive in the human body.
Scientists have found that human excrement is full of microplastics, indicating that the material is seeping into the human gut. There is also evidence of microplastics being embedded in many other organs and tissues in the body. They even identified it in human placentas.
The impact of microplastics on animal health is not widely agreed upon or fully understood, although evidence is emerging that it may have detrimental effects. All that aside, it’s amazing but concerning that plastic materials have spread so widely since they were mass-produced less than a century ago.
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2023-08-11 15:00:42
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