Plastic in rivers more dangerous than we thought

Much of the plastic we use ends up in rivers, where they form clumps that provide shelter for bacteria, and some of them emerge and multiply. They can cause infections that are resistant to antibiotics.

The study of UK rivers found that dumped plastic, sticks and the water itself were contaminated. A breeding ground for microbial communities to thrive.

As a result, plastic waste is a reservoir for bacteria and viruses known to cause human disease and antibiotic resistance.

Plastics contribute to drug-resistant bacteria problem

The river is The main way plastic enters the world’s oceans,

Between 3,500 and 2.41 million tons of synthetic materials are transported to the ocean every year. They then degrade in the ocean and turn into microplastics, which are eventually consumed by marine species.

“Our results show that plastics in freshwater bodies May aid in the transport of potential pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes,” explains the study’s lead author, Dr. Vinko Zadjelovic of the University of Antofagasta in Chile.

This discovery has indirect but significant implications for human health. Antibiotic resistance poses a growing threat to public health. Infections associated with antibiotic resistance are estimated to have killed nearly 3 million people worldwide in 2019, and this number is increasing every year. A report by the United Nations Environment Program estimates that they will kill 10 million people globally by 2050, the equivalent of cancer deaths.

Bacteria invade plastic mountains in water

Plastics that accumulate in rivers, especially on river banks, are subject to invasion by bacteria that naturally inhabit the ecosystem. These bacteria then multiply and adapt to a “chemical soup” that includes compounds with antibiotic properties, and populations of antibiotic-resistant superbugs emerge. These bacteria can even survive routine treatment at wastewater treatment plants.

In February 2020, researchers collected water samples for a week downstream of the River Soy wastewater treatment plant in Warwickshire and the West Midlands, England.in these samples Human pathogenic bacteria were discovered, e.g. Salmonella, E. coli and Streptococcus, Responsible for strep throat.

“Opportunistic” bacteria, e.g. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Aeromonas,A known They pose a risk to people with compromised immune systems.

For the study’s authors, the findings underscore the “urgent need for tighter controls on wastewater treatment plants.” certainly, In untreated waterways, the situation can be more severe.

Even pure water can contain drug-resistant bacteria

Wastewater must be treated and disinfected to reduce dangers associated with drug-resistant bacteria and pathogenic viruses, For ecosystems and humans.

For example, the study explains that in laboratory tests, bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, leading to hospital patient infections, It reproduces almost three times more in “worn plastic” than in wood. Genes responsible for antibiotic resistance are also found to be more abundant in plastics.

British water companies have been criticized in recent months for releasing raw sewage into Britain’s waterways and failing to report pollution incidents, sparking public debate.
Scientific reference: