Plastic Pollution
Broken-down microplastics from discarded food containers are not only providing a cozy home for microbes and chemical contaminants, but researchers say they also attract freefloating genetic material that can deliver antibiotic resistance to bacteria. An international team says it found that microplastics broken down by the sun’s ultraviolet light make perfect homes for antibioticresistant microbes that can be passed on to people, lowering their ability to fight infections. Writing in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, the scientists say this can happen even in the complete absence of antibiotics. “Enhanced dissemination of antibiotic resistance is an overlooked potential impact of microplastics pollution,” said civil and environmental engineer Pedro Alvarez.
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