Medical treatments that save lives can also add microplastics to the body, which may lead to further health risks.
As Environmental Health News reported, many surgical procedures require devices with plastic components that can enter a patient's bloodstream.
What's happening?
With support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation, researchers collected blood samples from 23 patients in the Beijing Anzhen Hospital's catheterization room. The patients studied were all between the ages of 55 and 77 and suffered from coronary heart disease.
In the study, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials and shared by ScienceDirect, the researchers found the concentration of microplastics in blood samples was significantly elevated compared to before treatment.
"Microplastics is an emerging pollutant potentially harmful to health," the researchers wrote in the abstract. "Medical practices using plastic devices, such as percutaneous coronary interventions, may result in MPs entering into the blood."
Why is finding microplastics in blood concerning?
This study is significant because it was, per the research paper, the first time microplastics' presence in blood was studied following this type of medical treatment. The researchers were concerned about the finding because our understanding of microplastics' effect on humans has focused on inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact.
Now, we understand that microplastics can also enter the blood through percutaneous coronary intervention, a standard method used to diagnose and treat heart disease. The researchers determined this type of treatment "introduces tens of thousands of microplastics without size limitations into the body."
Microplastics, which are particles less than 5 millimeters (or about 0.2 inches) in size, have been linked to many adverse health effects, including cell death, allergic reactions, tissue damage, Parkinson's, fertility problems, cancer, and, yes, even heart disease risk.
What's being done about microplastic exposure in medicine?
This new research raises questions about the role of plastic in modern medicine. Could safer, more sustainable materials be used for catheters, stents, guidewires, and other medical devices and their packaging?
The case against using plastic continues to grow, with mounting evidence of its risks to human health and the environment. It is becoming increasingly clear how critical it is to reduce your plastic exposure in as many ways as possible to take precautionary care for your health.
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