“Very low concentrations of both heavy metals (such as arsenic) and antibiotics, either separately or in combination, were able to enrich resistant plasmid-bearing bacteria, according to the study’s results.” – J Wilson

Low concentrations of various pharmaceutical drugs are making their way into our water systems and soil through improper disposal, such as flushing, and through human excretion.

When people take antibiotics, or other medications, they are often passed through the urine unchanged, active and in their original state. This drug-containing urine then enters wastewater treatment facilities where it is not filtered out due to a lack of screening and the necessary equipment required to remove the drugs.

Excrement containing pharmaceutical drugs eventually ends up in the environment, which is concerning, because the environmental impacts of this process are still being uncovered and are therefore widely unknown.

However, the results of a new study published in the journal mBio sheds some light on what’s happening to these drugs and how their presence in the environment contributes to antibiotic resistance, as well as their reaction with heavy metals present in nature due to natural sources and human activities. Continue reading →