Are Microplastics Breaching the Heart? What the Latest Science Says

By Adebowale Bello. B.Tech Microbiology, Freelance Health Writer. Medically reviewed by the DLHA Tam.

October 6, 2026.

A sack of sorted multi-coloured shredded plastic garbage at a waste recycling factory. Image Credit: Magnific

Plastic is now part of everyday life. We use plastic bottles to carry water, plastic bags to shop, plastic containers to store food and plastic packaging for almost everything from medicines to household products. However, as larger plastic items break down, they can produce particles so small that we cannot see them with the naked eye.

These tiny pieces of plastic are known as microplastics and nanoplastics and because of their size, some of these particles can enter the human body through the food we eat, the water we drink or the air we breathe. Researchers have already found these particles in different parts of the human body and now, a recent study has discovered them in the blood vessels that supply the heart. Does this mean that microplastics can cause heart attacks?

About the Study

The study was published in the European Heart Journal in 2026. Researchers wanted to find out whether microplastics and nanoplastics could be found flowing through the heart's blood vessels and whether their presence differed between people with and without serious heart disease.

The researchers studied 61 people in two hospitals in Italy and they divided the participants into three groups:

• 19 people who were experiencing a serious type of heart attack caused by a sudden blockage of blood flow to the heart.
• 20 people with a long-term form of coronary heart disease
• 22 people whose heart arteries were normal

They collected blood samples from the participants and used specialised laboratory equipment to look for different types of plastic particles in the blood. They further looked at the participants' exposure to air pollution, particularly very tiny particles known as PM2.5 because these particles are small enough to travel deep into the lungs when we breathe polluted air.

What the Study Found

The most significant finding was the difference between people having a heart attack and the other participants.

The scientists found microplastics or nanoplastics in:

• 84.2% of people experiencing a serious heart attack
• 40% of people with long-term coronary heart disease
• 31.8% of people whose heart arteries were normal

So, these plastic particles were found much more often in the people who were experiencing a heart attack and also in a greater variety. One of the most common types of plastic they found was polyethylene, a type of plastic widely used in packaging, bags and many everyday products.

The researchers found the same types of plastic particles in both the blood circulating through the body and the blood flowing through the blood vessels that supply the heart. However, there were higher amounts in the blood from the heart's blood vessels showing that these tiny plastic particles can reach the blood vessels that supply the heart.

Additional Findings: 

• Concerning Microplastics and Heart Attack

The study discovered that people having heart attacks were more likely to have microplastics and nanoplastics in their blood but it did not prove that the plastic particles caused their heart attacks.

There are, however, reasons why scientists are interested in the possibility that microplastics could affect the heart. One of such reasons is that higher levels of substances linked to inflammation were also found in people who were having a heart attack. This has led scientists to investigate whether tiny plastic particles could trigger inflammation or cause other changes in the blood vessels.

• Concerning Microplastics, Air Pollution and Smoking

People who were having a heart attack had higher levels of exposure to air pollution than those in the other groups. Microplastics were also found more often in smokers and when the researchers considered several factors together, smoking was the only factor that remained independently linked to finding microplastics and nanoplastics in the blood.

This is important because it shows why we should not read the study and conclude that air pollution or microplastics cause heart attacks. Smoking itself is already a well-established risk factor for heart disease and it can damage blood vessels and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Crucially, environmental exposures such as air pollution and plastic pollution deserve further investigation and more research is needed.

What the Study Means for Africans

This study was carried out in Italy, not in any sub-Saharan African (SSA) country, so we cannot assume that sub-Saharan Africans have exactly the same levels of microplastics in their blood. However, the subject is still relevant because plastic is widely used across SSA countries and the people regularly come into contact with plastic packaging, plastic bags, bottles and food containers.

In some SSA communities, poor waste disposal can also mean that plastic waste ends up on roadsides, in drains, waterways and open spaces while most of the time, plastic waste is burned which releases pollutants into the air.

Air pollution is also a major concern in many SSA cities because traffic, generators, industrial activities, household cooking and other sources can contribute to poor air quality. However, this study was not intended to address the level of microplastics exposure sub-Saharan Africans have or whether exposure to these particles increases their risk of heart attacks. 

That is an important gap that African researchers need to conduct studies on because such research could help public health managers in SSA to understand how plastic exposure, air pollution, smoking and other environmental factors interact with the heart health of people living on the continent.

Limitations of the Study

• Only 61 people took part in this study. This is a very small number, so the findings need to be confirmed in much larger studies.

• The researchers looked at the participants at one point in time. They did not follow them for years to see whether people with higher levels of microplastics later developed heart disease. Because of this, the study cannot tell us whether the plastic particles contributed to the heart attacks or whether another factor explains the relationship.

• All the participants were in Italy, therefore the study findings cannot be generalised across the globe including SSA countries.

Should You Stop Using Plastic?

This study does not provide enough evidence to say that using a plastic bottle or eating food from a plastic container will cause a heart attack. There is also no evidence from this study that people should panic about the amount of plastic they may have encountered in their daily lives.

There are, however, good reasons to reduce unnecessary plastic use where practical. Reducing plastic waste can help protect the environment and reduce pollution while proper disposal of plastic waste is also important, particularly in communities where they can block drainage channels, pollute water sources or be burned in the open.

When it comes to protecting your heart, a practical advice would be to focus on the things that are already known to reduce the risk of heart disease such as

• Staying physically active
• Eating a balanced diet
• Maintaining a healthy weight and
• Keeping conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol under control.

Conclusion

This study adds to growing evidence that tiny plastic particles can enter the human body and may be present in the blood vessels supplying the heart. Their higher presence in heart vessels of people experiencing a serious heart attack is concerning and deserves further investigation.

However, the study does not prove that microplastics causes heart attacks. Much larger and globally coordinated studies, including research involving African populations are needed to understand whether these particles can increase the risk of heart disease in people across the globe. For now, the findings of this limited study give cause to take plastic pollution and environmental exposure seriously and take individual and population level steps to reduce the risks posed by microplastics to human health.

Source: Paolisso P, Scisciola L, Belmonte M, Scarsini R, Galli V, Gallinoro E, Casenghi M, Ausiello D, Vincelli G, Policastro P, Redivo M, Cefalì F, Fenti A, Pellegrini V, Falco G, Galoppo S, Berni A, Armillotta M, Pizzi C, et al. Micro- and nano-plastics in the coronary circulation and air pollution exposure in ischaemic heart disease presentation. European Heart Journal, 2026;, ehag447, doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehag447. Available from here

Related:

Plastic Food Containers Release Microplastics, Study Warns

Micronanoplastics Linked to Stroke Risk, Study Reveals

Published: October 6, 2026.

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