Viruses can survive and remain contagious by “hitchhiking” on microplastics in freshwater, scientists have found, raising concerns about its impact on human health.
Researchers from the University of Stirling in Scotland found that the rotavirus, which causes diarrhea and stomach upset, can survive for up to three days in lake water by binding to the surfaces of microplastics.
“Microplastics are so small that they could potentially be swallowed by someone who swims,” said Professor Richard Quilliam, the project’s lead researcher. “Sometimes they wash up on the beach as brightly colored lentil-sized grains called nurdles that children could pick up and put in their mouths.”
“It doesn’t take many virus particles to make you sick,” he added.
The study published in the journal Environmental Pollution was the first to examine the problem in nature, with previous research focusing on the spread of viruses in sterile hospital environments.
It’s part of a larger project called the Plastic Vector Project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, that examines how plastics in the environment can help transport bacteria and viruses, and the impact they can have on humans. health.
Even if a wastewater treatment plant goes to great lengths to clean up sewage, the water discharged still contains microplastics that are then transported up the river into an estuary and onto the beach, Professor Quilliam said.
Some viruses can also release themselves from the plastic into the water or sand, meaning their persistence in the environment is increased, I added.
The scientists also only tested how long pathogens can survive on microplastics for up to three days, meaning they may last longer.
Microplastics are small plastic particles less than 5 mm in size that pollute the world’s environment. They have been found all over the planet – from the world’s oceans to the air we breathe and even in our blood.