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Earlier this year, we got news from a that microplastics – tiny shards of plastic shed from larger chunks – had been found inside more than 50 percent of . It was the first data of its kind to draw a link between microplastics and their impact on human health. Now, a new study from researchers in China reports finding microplastics in blood clots surgically removed from arteries in the heart and brain, and deep veins in the lower legs.

It's only a small study, of 30 patients – not nearly as many as the 257 patients followed for 34 months in the published in March. But similar to how the Italian-led team found the presence of microplastics in plaques raised people's subsequent risk of heart attack or stroke, the Chinese team also found a potential association between levels of microplastics in blood clots and disease severity. The 30 patients involved in the study had surgery to remove blood clots after experiencing a stroke, heart attack, or , a condition where clots form in deep veins, typically of the legs or pelvis.



Aged 65 years old on average, patients had various health histories and lifestyles such as smoking, alcohol use, high blood pressure, or . They used plastic products daily, and were roughly split between rural and urban areas. Microplastics of various shapes and sizes were detected using chemical analysis techniques in 24 of the 30 blood clots studied, at varying concentrations.

Testing also identified the same types of plastics as those detected in the I.

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