A small, Italian-led study has found that people who had suffered a serious heart attack had higher levels of micro- and nano-plastics in their blood, compared to patients with chronic ischemic heart disease and those with normal blood vessels supplying the heart. The team looked at levels of micro- and nano-plastics in the blood of 61 Italian patients diagnosed with either a heart attack, chronic ischemic heart disease, or with normal coronary arteries. Among those who had heart attacks, micro- and nano-plastics were found in 84% of patients, compared with 40% of patients with chronic ischemic heart disease, and 32% of patients with normal coronary arteries. They also found that heart attack patients had a greater variety of plastic types in their blood, the most common being polyethylene, commonly used in plastic packaging. The team also noticed that smokers and people exposed to higher levels of air pollution had more plastics in their blood, suggesting these might make it easier for micro- and nano-plastics to enter the bloodstream through the lungs. Policies that reduce air pollution, smoking, and environmental plastic contamination could have benefits that extend beyond the environment, improving our cardiovascular health, the authors conclude.