UC lands $3.3M grant to study microplastics' effects on cardiovascular health

Microplastics are everywhere, including in the clothes we wear, the food we eat, the water we drink and even the air we breathe.

A scientist at the University of Cincinnati has received a grant worth more than $3 million to study the effects of microplastics on the body and to better understand what those tiny plastic particles may be doing inside the human body.

Collaborators recently appeared on WLWT-TV/Ch. 5 to discuss their groundbreaking research. Local 12/WKRC-TV also recently featured their work.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has awarded Hong-Sheng Wang, PhD, a $3.3 million, five-year grant to study how microplastics and nanoplastics accumulate in the body and their potential effects on cardiovascular health.

“People put out vast quantities of waste plastic in the environment,” said Wang, a professor in the College of Medicine's Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neurobiology and principal investigator on the project. “They break down over time. They become ever-smaller pieces. Eventually, they become microplastics. They enter the water system, the soil, so we get exposure from almost every day food.”

Scientists say human exposure to microplastics is difficult to avoid. 

“They are such tiny particles, and they're suspended in the air,” Wang said. “They pretty much just act like dust, and you can breathe them in.”

Researchers have detected microplastics in human tissues and organs, but Wang said much remains unknown about how these particles affect the body.

The study brings together an interdisciplinary team of researchers from across the university to identify, detect, and track microplastics in the body.

“Our team is going to be working on identifying and detecting and also locating microplastics using state-of-the-art equipment available in the chemistry department here,” Wang said.

A primary focus of the study is how microplastics may affect the heart.

“The main questions we will address are, number one, how do microplastics affect heart physiology and function?” said Necati Kaval, PhD, a study collaborator and an adjunct instructor and research professional in the Department of Chemistry. “And the second question is: How does exposure to microplastics potentially worsen outcomes when there is a heart attack?”

Researchers hope the study will clarify the health risks associated with microplastics and nanoplastics, which are among the world’s most common pollutants. The findings could help scientists better understand potential links between environmental exposure to microplastics and cardiovascular disease, an area of growing global attention.

As concerns about plastic pollution grow, UC researchers say their work could help shape future understanding of how these particles affect human health and how to reduce risks.

Watch the full WLWT-TV/Ch. 5 studio interview.

Read the full Local 12/WKRC-TV story.

91.3 WYSO also aired an interview with Wang on his microplastics research.

Featured image at top: A glass vial containing water and microplastic pieces. Photo/iStock/MargJohnsonVA.