Plastic and paint traces found in human veins

Microplastics used in food packaging and paint have been found in the veins of people.

A study suggests that they can pass through blood vessels to vascular tissue, but scientists said it was unclear what the implications were for human health.

A team from the University of Hull and Hull York Medical School, with researchers from the Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, analysed human saphenous vein tissue taken from patients undergoing heart bypass surgery in a small pilot study. They found 15 microplastic particles per gram of vein tissue and five types of polymer in the tissue.