Microplastics Linked to Health Risks
By Chauncey Crandall, M.D.
High blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke rates are higher in coastal or lakefront areas with greater concentrations of microplastics in the environment, researchers reported. The results suggest a dose-response relationship in which higher concentrations of microplastics pollution are associated with more chronic disease.
Microplastics are tiny particles that can come from food and beverage packaging, consumer products, and building materials. People can be exposed to microplastics in the water they drink, the food they eat, and the air they breathe.
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For this study, researchers linked Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data on chronic illness rates with federal data on microplastics concentrations in the sediment along coastal and lakeshore areas in 555 census tracts. Microplastics ranked among the top risk factors associated with chronic illness.
“The environment plays a very important role in our health, especially cardiovascular health,” said lead investigator Sai Rahul Ponnana, a scientist at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine in Cleveland. “As a result, taking care of our environment means taking care of ourselves.”
By Chauncey Crandall, M.D.
High blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke rates are higher in coastal or lakefront areas with greater concentrations of microplastics in the environment, researchers reported. The results suggest a dose-response relationship in which higher concentrations of microplastics pollution are associated with more chronic disease.
Microplastics are tiny particles that can come from food and beverage packaging, consumer products, and building materials. People can be exposed to microplastics in the water they drink, the food they eat, and the air they breathe.
Special: 4 Warning Signs Your Heart May Be Failing — Do You Know Them?
For this study, researchers linked Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data on chronic illness rates with federal data on microplastics concentrations in the sediment along coastal and lakeshore areas in 555 census tracts. Microplastics ranked among the top risk factors associated with chronic illness.
“The environment plays a very important role in our health, especially cardiovascular health,” said lead investigator Sai Rahul Ponnana, a scientist at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine in Cleveland. “As a result, taking care of our environment means taking care of ourselves.”