The microplastics they really are everywhere. Just look for them and the evidence of their presence in various human organs and tissues increases, from the placenta tobreast milk, from the liver and lungs to the heart tissues. And not only. They are not only found in arteries, but also in thrombi, solid formations made up of blood components such as platelets, red and white blood cells and fibrin, which form in blood vessels or heart cavities. A Chinese study, published in the Lancet, documents significant concentrations of microplastics within them.
“Microplastics seem to be a much more important problem than we think. Instead of blaming about non-existent vaccine damage, it would be appropriate to address an issue that is not at all simple to resolve”, underlines Roberto Burioni, professor of virology at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University of Milan, posting and commenting on the Shantou University study on X.
To investigate the potential impact of these substances on human health, in particular on the circulatory system, the research was conducted with the aim of identifying, and quantifying the concentrations, types of polymers and physical properties of microplastics in surgically removed human thrombi from the cerebral arteries, coronary arteries and deep veins in the lower limbs. The researchers also evaluated the potential association between microplastic levels and disease severity.
The analyzed thrombus samples were collected from 30 patients who underwent thrombectomy procedures after suffering from ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction or deep vein thrombosis. Well, land microplastics were detected, on average, in 80% (24/30) of the thrombi, with higher concentrations in those taken from patients who had had a heart attack. In detail, polyamide 66 (Pa66), polyvinyl chloride (Pvc) and polyethylene (Pe) were found: the latter is the most present polymer (53%). Further analysis suggested that higher concentrations of microplastics may be associated with greater disease severity. For scientists, therefore, “new research with a larger sample is urgently needed to identify the sources of exposure and validate the trends observed in the study”.
