Illuminating relationship between microplastics, cardiovascular diseases
Environmental microplastic pollution could be associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
In a study, presented as a poster at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session 2025 and simultaneously published as an abstract in a supplement volume of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, investigators used data from the National Centers for Environmental Information to assess the effects of 154 socioeconomic and environmental factors on cardiovascular health across 555 U.S. census tracts between 2015 and 2019. Microplastic concentrations were in seafloor sediments were classified as low (0 to 200 particles per square meter) to very high (more than 40,000 particles per square meter).
The investigators discovered that microplastic concentration was among the top 10 predictors of chronic disease prevalence — including hypertension, diabetes and stroke. Higher concentrations of microplastics were correlated with greater disease risks.
The findings indicated that exposure to microplastics could impact cardiovascular health. However, the investigators noted that they were not able to establish microplastic exposure as causative of the cardiovascular diseases.
Read more: JACC
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