Microplastics increase the risk of a heart attack.
Microplastics put people at increased risk of a heart attack
Scientists at the University of Campania in Italy discovered that the small pieces of plastic were present in more than half of patients undergoing procedures to clear a major artery in the neck.
The discovery has caused concern that plastic pollution could have a devastating impact by raising the risk of strokes, heart attacks and early death.
Those whose blood vessels contained microplastics were almost five times more likely to suffer from the health problems over the following 34 months.
Dr. Raffaele Marfella, first author of the study, said: "Our data will dramatically impact cardiovascular health if confirmed because we are defenceless against plastic pollution.
"The only defence we have available today is prevention by reducing plastic production."
He added: "People must become aware of the risks we are taking with our lifestyle. I hope that the alarm message from our study will raise the consciousness of citizens, especially governments, to finally become aware of the importance of the health of our planet."