Living near the ocean may seem like an advantage for health and well -being, but a new study has lit the alarms: the Microplastic coastal waters They could increase the risk of heart disease. This is warned of an investigation published in Journal of the American Heart Associationwhich thoroughly analyzed the relationship between marine pollution and the health of those who live near it.
Scientists examined 152 coastal counties in the United States and discovered that residents of The areas with higher levels of microplastics in the sea had significantly higher rates of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke.
“This is one of the first large -scale studies that suggests that living nearby very contaminated with microplastics can be related to chronic diseases. Plastic pollution is not only an environmental problem, but it can also be a public health problem,” says Dr. Sarju Ganatra, principal author of the study and medical director of Sustainability of the Hospital & Medical Center of Massachusetts.
The microplastics are tiny particles, less than 5 millimetersderived from waste such as containers, synthetic clothing or hygiene products. Smaller are still nanoplastic, invisible to the naked eye. Both end in drinking water, shellfish and air we breathe. In coastal areas, the intrusion of seawater in underground aquifers facilitates the accumulation of these pollutants.
The study categorizes the levels of marine microplastics in four ranges. The counties exposed to the most polluted waters showed a 18% more type 2 diabetes, 7% more coronary heart disease and 9% more stroke compared to counties exposed to cleaner waters. In addition, these risks were maintained even after adjusting by factors such as age, sex, economic situation, access to doctors and environmental pollution.
10 plastic particles for each tablespoon of seawater
In addition to the most striking findings, the study provides other data that helps contextualize the magnitude of the problem. Using information from National Environmental Information Centersthe researchers measured the Concentrations of marine microplastics between 2015 and 2020 in oceanic waters located within 200 nautical miles – Marina exclusive economic zone – of the 152 coastal counties analyzed.
These measurements allowed to divide the levels of contamination into four categories, with descriptions as graphic as shocking: from “a small plastic motorcycle in 200 seawater bathtubs” until “More than 10 plastic particles in each tablespoon of seawater”. Likewise, Ganatra warns that the results do not affect only people who reside near the sea. “Although we examine the data of the microplastics collected in the water of the ocean and the health status of the people who live in the nearby communities, the pollution by microplastics affects us all, regardless of where we live,” he observes.
Microplastic contamination, in the words of Dr. Ganatra, is an insidious threat: “Even in health care we depend largely on the single -use plastics, from intravenous bags and syringes to gloves, tubes, cell packaging of medicines and surgical cloths. Much of them ends up in landfills or in the ocean, where they are fragment In the ecosystem. “
However, the study does not directly measure plastic levels in the human body, nor can it establish a direct causal relationship. However, their findings mark the way to deeper research. “We do not measure the plastic levels in the body of the residents of these counties, and we still do not know the exact ways in which these particles can damage the body. Therefore, although the findings are convincing, they must be a call to a deeper investigation, not to draw definitive conclusions,” says Ganatra.
Even so, for him, the call to action is clear. “This study adds to a growing set of evidence that shows that The garbage we throw to the environment often returns to us. It is time to move from awareness to action. We urge political leaders to consider contamination by plastics as an environmental crisis, as well as a possible health crisis, “he says.
Justin Zachariah, Pediatric Cardiologist and President of the Drafting Committee of the American Heart Association, concludes that “These plastics can persist indefinitely in our bodies, which possibly exposes people of all ages to cumulative risks throughout his life. “