Microplastics might be worse than you think. Here’s why
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria that thrive in deteriorating plastics could cause the next pandemic, an environmental researcher says.
Just when it seemed the news about microplastics’ potential for harm couldn’t get worse, an environmental researcher at Metropolitan State University of Denver has found a new cause for concern: Microplastics are contributing to the global problem of antibiotic resistance.
In research published in the Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, Sung Hee Joo, Ph.D., director of MSU Denver’s Environmental Engineering program, and colleagues describe how plastic waste, particularly in fresh water, creates a habitat that allows antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes that promote antibiotic resistance to thrive, which could lead to another pandemic.
“That’s a significant concern, not just in the U.S. but globally,” Joo said. “We already have microplastics detected in tap water, and water-treatment methods don’t remove them all — yet there is no regulation on microplastics in drinking water. So I’m very concerned about another pandemic because of plastic waste and the genetic changes we see in bacteria as a result.”
As plastics age and degrade, their chemical makeup changes, which creates an environment where antibiotic-resistant microorganisms can survive and reproduce, Joo and her colleagues wrote in the study. The World Health Organization has called the growing problem of antibiotic resistance one of the world’s most critical health threats.
Joo and her colleagues intend to conduct further research into the threat posed by microplastics. But her efforts on behalf of the environment don’t stop there. Thanks to a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, Joo and one of her research colleagues, Katrina Knauer of the National Renewal Energy Laboratory, are set to lead a project to put some of those thrown-away plastics to new use.
“Increased regulation and education are essential to addressing the problem,” Joo said. “One thing we can do is focus on upcycling, which converts plastic waste into resources. That’s why we’re so excited for this collaboration with NREL.”
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As part of the project, Joo will lead an education program, a cooperative between MSU Denver and NREL, that will examine ways to put postconsumer recycled plastics to use in new products, such as an asphalt replacement. Beginning this summer, the project will create internships for MSU Denver Environmental Engineering students and will include a community component. Interns will educate residents in low-income areas of Pueblo about the importance and benefits of recycling.
“We need to educate the public because many people don’t realize how important proper recycling is,” Joo said.
If successful, the project would reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 60% by developing an asphalt replacement that incorporates plastic waste while integrating bio-based additives. Using microplastics this way not only provides a new way to pave streets but reduces microplastic waste and decreases temperatures needed to create asphalt.
Joo, whose research over more than two decades has earned her numerous awards, including the Environmental Protection Agency’s Scientific and Technological Achievement Award, said finding new uses for plastic waste is one important way to combat the potentially deadly spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
“The human body carries plastics, and tiny plastic particles are found in every organ, including the brain, especially in the blood-brain barrier,” Joo said. “Still, it’s not too late to act now to protect our environment and public health.”
