Over the past 50 years, overall heart disease death rates have dropped by 66% and deaths from heart attacks have declined by nearly 90%.

A study of microplastics in U.S. coastal waters found that residents of counties adjacent to the most heavily microplastic-polluted waters had significantly higher rates of Type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease (plaque-clogged blood vessels feeding the heart) and stroke compared to similar counties located near waters with low levels of microplastic pollution.