January 28, 2026, 11:37 am | Read time: 5 minutes
Plastic packaging is an integral part of our everyday lives—whether for take-away meals, in supermarkets, or as water bottles. But what happens when hot water comes into contact with plastic? Could dangerous chemicals be released that affect our health, especially the cardiovascular system? A new study has come to alarming conclusions.
The study investigated the effects of plastic leaching on the risk of cardiovascular disease, both in a population study and in animal experiments. The results suggest that frequent contact with single-use plastic could have health consequences. But how great is the risk really?
Overview
What Was Investigated?
The study analyzed whether heat-released pollutants from plastic packaging could increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.1 Two approaches were combined:
- Epidemiologic study: with 3179 older adults from the “Ningxia Older Mental Health Cohort”.2 This examined the association between the use of plastic containers and the incidence of cardiovascular disease.
- Animal experiments with (Sprague-Dawley) SD rats: which drank water that was in contact with disposable plastic containers for 1.5 or 15 minutes over three months.
Cardiovascular markers, inflammation levels, oxidative stress, and intestinal flora were examined. The aim of the study was to investigate a possible link between plastic exposure and heart health.
Methods of the Study
The study consisted of two parts: an epidemiologic study with older adults and an animal study with SD rats.
The Epidemiological Study
In the first part, an epidemiological study was conducted on 3179 older people from the “Ningxia Older Mental Health Cohort”. A questionnaire was used to record how often the participants used plastic containers. At the same time, medical data on high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, arrhythmias, heart attacks, and heart failure were collected. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the relationship between plastic exposure and cardiovascular disease.
The Animal Experiment with Rats
In the second part, an animal experiment was conducted with SD rats to experimentally investigate the potential effects of plastic exposure. For this purpose, 32 male rats were divided into four groups of eight animals each. Over a period of three months, they drank water that had previously been in contact with single-use plastic for different periods of time (1, 5, or 15 minutes). Various biological parameters were then analyzed:
- Blood analyses: to determine inflammatory markers, oxidative stress, and heart damage.
- Histological examinations: of the heart tissue using staining techniques and electron microscopy.
- Intestinal flora analyses: using 16S rRNA sequencing to identify microbial changes.
- Metabolome analyses: to investigate metabolic changes.
This combination of epidemiological and experimental approaches enabled a comprehensive assessment of the potential health risks from thermal contact of plastic with hot liquids.
The Impact of Plastic Exposure on Heart Health
1. Epidemiological Investigation:
The analysis showed that higher use of plastic containers was associated with a slightly increased risk of heart failure. Individuals with high plastic exposure had a 13 percent increased risk of heart failure. No significant association was found for other cardiovascular diseases.
2. Animal Studies – Effects of Plastic Exposure:
- Cardiac damage: Histology showed signs of muscle fiber damage, inflammatory cell infiltration, and mitochondrial changes in all exposure groups.
- Inflammatory reactions: Rats with plastic exposure had elevated levels of CRP and IL-1β, indicating systemic inflammation.
- Oxidative stress: An imbalance of antioxidant enzymes indicated increased free radical formation.
- Intestinal flora changes: Certain pro-inflammatory bacteria (e.g., Prevotella_9 and Ruminococcus gnavus) increased, while anti-inflammatory bacteria (e.g., Enterorhabdus) decreased.
What Do the Results Mean?
The study provides evidence that thermal contact of plastic with hot liquids could be potentially harmful to health. While microplastics have already been detected in human organs, this study shows that plastic exposure may promote inflammatory reactions and oxidative damage that affect the cardiovascular system.
It was particularly striking that even a short exposure (up to 15 minutes) caused measurable changes in animal experiments. However, it remains unclear to what extent these effects can be directly transferred to humans. The exposure of rats to plastic was experimentally increased, which limits the comparability with everyday exposure.
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Classification of the study and possible limitations
The study is one of the first to comprehensively investigate the relationship between plastic exposure and cardiovascular disease. The combination of epidemiological data and animal experiments strengthens the validity of the findings. Nevertheless, there are some limitations:
- Observational study: causal links between plastic use and heart failure cannot be proven beyond doubt.
- Transferability of the animal experiments: Rats were exposed to relatively high doses that are not directly comparable with everyday exposure in humans.
- Lack of clarity about the mechanism: It is not clear whether the observed effects were caused by microplastic particles or chemical additives (e.g., BPA, phthalates).
Conclusion
The study indicates that the contact of plastic with hot liquids could potentially pose health risks. Both epidemiological and experimental data show a link between plastic exposure and inflammatory and oxidative processes that could damage the cardiovascular system.
However, further long-term studies are needed to clarify the exact dose-response relationship. Until then, consumers should keep hot food in glass or stainless steel containers and avoid plastic for hot drinks.
The German original of this article was published in February 2025.