A study in Italy found microplastics in over 50% of plaques from clogged arteries in patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy.

The study observed that patients with microplastics in their plaques were 4.5 times more likely to experience a stroke, non-fatal heart attack, or death within 34 months compared to those without microplastics.

The microplastics identified included polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), with 60% of patients having polyethylene and 12% having PVC in their plaques.

The presence of microplastics was confirmed using pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and stable isotopes analysis, and they were visible under microscopes within immune cells and fatty plaques.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, highlights an association between microplastics in arterial plaques and cardiovascular events, but it does not establish causation.