The New Indian Express ·
Microplastics in blood: Small in size, big in threat
For decades, modern plastic was celebrated as a miracle of industrial convenience. But inside a high-tech operating suite in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, vascular specialists are confronting the dark side of that permanence — microscopic synthetic debris lodged directly within human blood vessels. What was long viewed as an ecological crisis confined to choked marine habitats and overflowing landfills has breached our internal biological defences. Microscopic synthetic fragments are now hitching a ride through the bloodstream and embedding deep within arterial walls, transforming microplastics from a distant environmental pollutant into an active suspect in vascular disease, plaque instability, and acute cardiac events.
When microplastics enter the body through ingestion, inhalation, or systemic absorption, their physical presence triggers a cascade of complex physiological responses. The primary concern among medical researchers centers on cellular strain, persistent biological inflammation, and oxidative stress. As these sharp, non-biodegradable particles come into direct contact with vessel walls, immune defense mechanisms treat the synthetic material as an invading threat.
Dr G Dimpu Edwin Jonathan, consultant in Interventional Cardiology at Aster RV Hospital in Bangalore, highlights how these microscopic fragments disrupt crucial vascular systems once they cross into circulation. “Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic. People can take them in through what they eat and drink, or breathe them in with air,” notes Dr Jonathan. “Once inside the body, a portion may pass through body barriers into the bloodstream and move through blood vessels into other organs.”
