According to recent research, the nanoplastics that accumulate around us, including on fabrics and in the indoor air at home, can lead to resistance to antibiotics.
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The nanoplastics they are plastic particles smaller than a thousandth of a millimetre. Due to their smallness, they can float freely in the air and have the ability to enter the body.
Tiny plastic particles aren’t just bad for the environment. A study conducted by Umeå University, Sweden, demonstrated that even the so-called Nanoplastics entering the body can compromise the effect of antibiotic treatment. The findings also indicate that nanoplastics can lead to the development of antibiotic resistance.
The study
In the study, conducted not only by researchers from Umeå, but also by scientists based in Germany and Hungary, the authors focused on how some of the most common nanoplastics interact with tetracyclinewhich is a common broad-spectrum antibiotic. It was found that there was significant accumulation of antibiotics on the surfaces of the nanoplastic particles; therefore, one could say that the nanoplastics absorb antibiotics. Lukas Kenner, professor at the Department of Molecular Biology at Umeå University and one of the researchers who led the study, said:
The findings are alarming, considering how common nanoplastics are but also because for many people, effective antibiotics can mean the difference between life and death
The nanoplastics in question come from common types of plastic such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene And nylon. They are commonly found in packaging and fabrics, and indoor air contains about five times more nanoplastics than outdoor air, partly due to particles released from fabrics.
One risk that researchers have highlighted is that binding to nanoplastics can lead to antibiotics “hitching a ride” with micro-particles in the bloodstream and being transported to other parts of the body than they are intended for, thus reducing the targeted effect of antibiotics and increasing the risk of antibiotic-resistant bacteria emerging. When antibiotics accumulate in unintended areas, in fact, sub-lethal doses can stimulate bacterial mutations, selecting strains resistant to antibiotics.
The researchers used advanced computer models to analyze how nanoplastics bind to tetracycline. The bond was found to be particularly strong with nylon, one of the most abundant substances in nanoplastics found in indoor air.
Although further research is needed to shed light on the connections and possible measures, from our findings we can conclude that nanoplastics represent a health risk that should be taken more seriously,” says Lukas Kenner.
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