By Helen Bezuneh,
Special to the AFRO
A recent study has highlighted an association between microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) clogging blood vessels and a prevalence of cardiovascular events during three years of follow-up with a total of 304 patients enrolled in the study. Patients who contained a presence of MNPs were found to be at higher risk of heart attack, stroke and early death than those who lacked MNPs.
The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, comes after previous reports that have determined the various impacts MNPs can have on human health. Previous research has demonstrated that Black individuals may be disproportionately exposed to, and harmed by, MNPs.
“A key finding of the Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health that I chaired was that all of plastics harms to human health, including their cardiovascular impacts, are unfairly distributed and fall disproportionately on vulnerable populations,” Philip Landrigan, epidemiologist and pediatrician who has advocated for children’s environmental health, told the AFRO.
Those vulnerable populations include “Black people, Brown people, Indigenous populations, fossil fuel extraction workers, chemical and plastic production workers, informal waste and recovery workers, persons living in “fenceline” communities adjacent to fossil fuel extraction, plastic production and plastic waste facilities,” said Landrigan.
For this study, researchers observed patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy to treat asymptomatic carotid artery disease, a disease that occurs when fatty deposits, called plaques, clog the blood vessels that deliver blood to the brain and head. The excised carotid plaques were examined to detect the presence of MNPs.
“They looked for the presence of microplastics in carotid artery plaques and found it in half of the patients, suggesting the potential for the microplastics to be accumulated in fatty plaques in the blood vessels,” said Dr. Sri Nadadur, branch chief of exposure, response, and technology branch at NIEH. “Over time, the accumulation of these plaques can block vessels and lead to heart attacks or strokes.”
According to Dr. Raffaele Marfella, one of the study’s authors, the study’s data does not give us information regarding a causal relationship between microplastics and cardiovascular disease. Additionally, there were no Black patients in the study’s patient population, making it impossible to deduce how these issues may affect Black individuals in a distinct manner.
“Our study only hypothesized that contamination with microplastics could be harmful to health,” he told the AFRO. “Furthermore, our study was conducted in a population of over sixty-five year olds at high cardiovascular risk, and is therefore not generalizable. To date, we have no data that can definitively consider microplastics as a new cardiovascular risk factor. Further studies on a larger population are, therefore, necessary. Therefore, to date, we cannot declare that microplastics cause cardiovascular disease in the general population, nor in Black individuals.”
Though a similar study has not been conducted with Black patients, the various disproportionate effects MNPs have on Black folks are undeniable and can be traced back to the root of most racial health disparities: systematic racism.
“These disproportionate impacts are the legacy of structural racism and manifestations of environmental injustice,” said Landrigan. “They reflect the deliberate and disproportionate siting of plastic production facilities, pipelines and plastic waste disposal sites in low-income, minority and marginalized communities.”
In the case of this study, Nadadur says that there is not enough data available to predict the potential effects on “diverse populations.”
“The study did not collect socioeconomic data on the participants, nor does it have data on where the plastics came from,” he said.
“We need additional research to know the sources of exposure (occupational or environmental) as well the impact microplastic particles can have on the cardiovascular system in diverse populations,” he added.
Sarah Morath, a professor of law at Wake Forest University who has special focuses on environmental law, food law and more, recommends individuals take action to limit their exposure to microplastics.
“This can be challenging because everything we purchase comes in plastic these days,” said Morath. “But using reusable water bottles and avoiding plastic cutlery could be a start. I would be wary of eating fish from water sources that could potentially be contaminated by plastic pollution.”
“Because it is so hard for individuals to avoid plastic, government intervention is needed,” she added. “The EPA and the White House have shown concern over the reality of environmental justice, but progress has been slow.”
Congress’ recently introduced Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act, however, may make some strides in the right direction if enacted, said Morath.
“It offers a variety of paths to eliminate plastic from the environment including banning single-use plastics and phasing out harmful chemicals. It also imposes a moratorium on new plastic production facilities,” she said. “Because petrochemical facilities that produce plastics are more likely to be in low-income communities and communities of color—exposing those communities to harmful pollutants— a pause in the construction of new plastic facilities would allow for environmental justice and health protections to be put in place,” she added.