United States: Exposure to plastic takeout containers increases congestive heart failure risk while “even short-term plastic particle contamination of food or liquids induces cardiac muscle tissue changes that potentially lead to cardiovascular disease,” according to research findings.
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Scientists conducted an evaluation on rat tissues for three months after giving rats water exposed to heated plastic drinking containers for various boiling times (1, 5, and 15 minutes).
Studied in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, researchers observed gut biome modifications in rats based on their feces evaluation and documented “extensive” heart tissue damage after three months.
What are the experts stating?
The study states that “The results indicated that ingestion of these leachates altered the intestinal microenvironment, affected gut microbiota composition, and modified gut microbiota metabolites, particularly those linked to inflammation and oxidative stress,” aol.com reported.
“Additionally, this exposure resulted in damage to the heart muscle tissue of the rats, alongside increased markers of myocardial injury, inflammation, and oxidative stress,” it continued.
“The study shows plastic exposure as a significant [cardiovascular disease] CVD risk factor regardless of duration,” indicating that even minimal exposure to heated plastic takeout containers may carry risks,” as the experts added that the rats demonstrated damage despite how long the water they ingested had been boiled for.
“It leads to changes in myocardial tissue, gut microbiota, and metabolites, all closely tied to CVD,” the study added.
Moreover, while citing earlier studies results, it mentioned, “Plastics contain endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) like bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates (PAEs) and plasticizers, which are linked to higher CVD risk,” aol.com reported.
How to prevent the menace?
The experts, although, have not suggested any specific action beyond “further research is necessary.”
The authors did point to the existing data, “to prevent ongoing harm from plastic products to human health, it is essential to avoid using plastic containers for high-temperature food, reduce the use of plastic products in daily life, and implement timely plastic pollution control measures.”