New Study Links Nanoplastics to Potential Heart Problems in Growing Organisms [Video]

A recent study discovered that nanoplastics can accumulate in growing hearts, raising health concerns.

Meiru Wang, a scientist from Leiden University, studied the impact of nanoplastics on chicken embryos. According to a report from Interesting Engineering, the scientists tracked the dispersion of polystyrene nanoparticles in the embryo by injecting them.

Wang said that they were injecting plastic nanoparticles “intravenously for the first time to study their biodistribution across multiple organs.” They found that nanoplastics may breach blood artery walls and concentrate in the heart and liver. He noted that the kidneys discharge some nanoplastics. Nanoplastics were also included in vascular heart cushions, which lack blood vessels.

The expert said nanoplastics may enter the heart through microscopic pores in growing tissue that shape it.

Implications on Human Embryos

The study used chicken embryos because they are genetically comparable to humans. Since 60% of chicken embryos’ protein-coding genes are human, they can resemble human tissues in experiments that cannot utilize mammals.

Nanoplastics are everywhere in the …