A new study, published by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, revisited the link between an emerging health risk and heart disease, uncovering alarming new details, according to a press release.

What's happening?

Microplastics — plastic particulate matter measuring 5 millimeters or smaller, often invisible to the naked eye — were not identified until 2004. Since then, researchers have studied both their prevalence in the environment and their impact on it, wildlife, and human health.

Previous studies have linked microplastics and heart disease. The new research, published in the journal Environment International, drilled down on that connection.

Researchers studied the effects of microplastics on mice, exposing them to daily levels equivalent to standard human exposure. They determined microplastics "dramatically worsened atherosclerosis" in several of the mice — but only male subjects.

Atherosclerosis is the medical term for debris, like fats, that accumulate on artery walls, and the press release indicated microplastics exposure worsened that buildup by "63% in the aortic root" and "624% in the brachiocephalic artery."

Why are these findings concerning?

To say something "is everywhere" is typically understood to be hyperbole.

In the unfortunate case of the relatively novel problem of microplastics, it's not an exaggeration. 

Microplastics were first discovered by a marine biologist, leading scientists to discover that the oceans are awash in this pervasive form of plastic pollution. However, they're also in the soil, which in turn contaminates the food we grow and the meat we consume. They're also airborne, meaning we breathe microplastic-tainted air indoors and out.

If microplastics were harmless, this pollution would still be a problem — but in addition to heart disease, traces of the contaminant have been found in human reproductive systems, and research has linked exposure to microplastics to certain cancers.

What's being done about it?

"As microplastic pollution continues to rise worldwide, understanding its impacts on human health — including heart disease — is becoming more urgent than ever," said lead author Changcheng Zhou.

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Research into microplastics is indeed critical, and new information on how microplastics affect the environment and living organisms is routinely studied and published — but acting on these findings on a global scale takes time.

Individuals can take several steps to reduce their direct exposure to microplastics, even if, as Zhou observed, it is "nearly impossible to avoid microplastics completely."

He advised using less plastic, particularly single-use plastic items, and replacing your most-used things with plastic-free alternatives is also effective.

Zhou also recommended avoiding plastic water bottles, a major source of microplastic exposure, as well as eschewing plastic food containers.

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