According to a new study, bacteria are using tiny plastic particles (microplastics) in the water supply to avoid being killed by water treatment. Astonishingly, the researchers found that the bacteria also help the plastic get escape the treatment process. Certain types of bacteria can quickly colonize a piece of microplastic in the water, and multiple rapidly to form a “supportive and protective microbial biofilm” that shields both the plastic and bacteria from sanitation processes. Public health is endangered when the water is used for the drinking supply or agricultural irrigation.
These findings support calls to reduce the amount of plastic produced and discarded as waste, as well as the need to develop more effective wastewater treatment technologies to remove the microplastics and their microscopic travel companions.
“Without efficient wastewater treatment and proper plastic waste management, wastewater could act as a source of transferring plastic-associated pathogens into the food chain and possibly pose a threat to human health”, the researchers concluded.
Full Story: CIDRAP
