{"id":51521,"date":"2024-09-30T11:02:54","date_gmt":"2024-09-30T10:02:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=51521"},"modified":"2024-09-30T11:02:54","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T10:02:54","slug":"antibiotic-pollution-is-accelerating-antimicrobial-resistance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/antibiotic-pollution-is-accelerating-antimicrobial-resistance\/51521\/","title":{"rendered":"Antibiotic pollution is accelerating the threat of antimicrobial resistance"},"content":{"rendered":"
The issue has gained renewed focus with the adoption of a UN declaration addressing the role of environmental pollution in driving antibiotic resistance.<\/p>\n
In 2007, a groundbreaking study from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, exposed significant antibiotic pollution from drug manufacturing plants in India.<\/p>\n
The concentration of antibiotics in wastewater from these facilities was shockingly high, with levels in some areas surpassing those found in the blood of patients receiving antibiotic treatments.<\/p>\n
Joakim Larsson, a professor in environmental pharmacology, highlighted that these concentrations were up to a million times higher than typical municipal wastewater levels.<\/p>\n
Such elevated levels create a breeding ground for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, presenting a global public health risk.<\/p>\n
As Larsson noted: “Resistant bacteria thrive and develop in these environments in an exceptional way,” which renders antibiotics ineffective and accelerates the spread of antimicrobial resistance.<\/p>\n
In connection with the ongoing United Nations General Assembly in New York, a significant declaration was approved<\/a>, underscoring the need for urgent measures to curb antibiotic pollution.<\/p>\n Two key clauses, 76 and 91, specifically address the problem of industrial discharges from pharmaceutical companies, thanks in large part to Larsson’s research.<\/p>\n The UN declaration serves as a critical step in the global fight against antibiotic resistance, emphasising the environmental aspect of the problem.<\/p>\n Antibiotic pollution doesn’t just harm ecosystems\u2014it contributes to a much larger and more dangerous global crisis: antimicrobial resistance<\/a>.<\/p>\n When bacteria are frequently exposed to high levels of antibiotics, they can mutate and become resistant.<\/p>\nThe dangers of antimicrobial resistance<\/h3>\n