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With all of the\u00a0will they or won\u2019t they tariffs<\/a>\u00a0that might hit Canadian steel in the very near future, plenty of beverage brands are lasciviously rubbing their hands together and eyeing plastic bottles as a likely alternative.<\/p>\n However, they might want to reconsider, given that\u00a0Applied and Environmental Microbiology<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>released an alarming study earlier this week showing that microplastics are worsening antibiotic resistance. Noting that mismanaged waste can present a potential public health threat, researchers posited that folks in crowded low-income communities might especially be at risk. Wastewater, in particular, can serve as a potential breeding ground given how easily microplastics can make their way through treatment plants given their size\u2014but it also presents an opportunity for them to attach themselves to organic material.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that there are microplastics all around us, and even more so in impoverished places where sanitation may be limited, is a striking part of this observation,\u201d said\u00a0Muhammad Zaman<\/a>, one of the study\u2019s authors and a BU College of Engineering professor of biomedical engineering, in a\u00a0statement<\/a>. \u201cThere is certainly a concern that this could present a higher risk in communities that are disadvantaged, and only underscores the need for more vigilance and a deeper insight into [microplastic and bacterial] interactions.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n