Medical infusion bags can release microplastics, study shows
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IV infusions in plastic pouches contained these microplastics.
view moreCredit: Adapted from Environment & Health 2025, DOI:10.1021/envhealth.4c00210
Microplastics have been found almost everywhere that scientists have looked for them. Now, according to research published in the ACS partner journal Environment & Health, these bits of plastic — from 1 to 62 micrometers long — are present in the filtered solutions used for medical intravenous (IV) infusions. The researchers estimate that thousands of plastic particles could be delivered directly to a person’s bloodstream from a single 8.4-ounce (250-milliliter) bag of infusion fluid.
In clinical settings, IV infusions are packaged in individual plastic pouches and deliver water, electrolytes, nutrients or medicine to patients. The base of these infusions is a saline solution that contains filtered water and enough salt to match the content of human blood. Research from the 1970s suggests IV fluid bags can contain solid particles, but few scientists have followed up on what those particles are made of. Liwu Zhang, Ventsislav Kolev Valev and colleagues suspected that these particles could be microplastics that, upon infusion, would enter the recipient’s bloodstream and potentially cause negative health effects. So, they set out to analyze the types and amounts of particles in commercial IV fluid bags.
The team purchased two different brands of 8.4-ounce bags of IV saline solution. After the contents of each bag dripped into separate glass containers, the liquids were filtered to catch microscopic particles. Then the researchers counted a portion of the individual plastic fragments, using that amount to estimate the total number of microplastics in the entire pouch of IV liquid and to analyze the composition of the particles.
The researchers discovered that both brands of saline contained microplastic particles made from polypropylene — the same material as the bags — which suggests that the bags shed microplastics into the solutions. And they estimated that each bag of infusion fluid could deliver about 7,500 microplastics directly into the bloodstream. This figure rises to about 25,000 particles to treat dehydration or 52,500 for abdominal surgery, which can require multiple IV bags.
The researchers recommend keeping IV infusion bags away from ultraviolet light and heat to reduce microplastic shedding, and they say that micrometer-level filtration systems could be used to remove the particles during infusion.
While there are no clinical studies to date that have assessed the health risks of microplastics exposure, the researchers say their findings will help “provide a scientific basis for formulating appropriate policies and measures to mitigate the potential threats posed by microplastics to human health.”
The authors acknowledge funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
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Journal
Environment & Health
Article Title
“MPs Entering Human Circulation through Infusions: A Significant Pathway and Health Concern”
Microplastics increase antimicrobial resistance
American Society for Microbiology
Washington, D.C.—Microplastics are not just pollutants, but also highly complex materials that facilitate antimicrobial resistance, even without antibiotics, according to a new study. The findings were published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
“Addressing plastic pollution isn’t just an environmental issue—it’s a critical public health priority in the fight against drug-resistant infections,” said lead study author Neila Gross, a Ph.D. candidate in the lab of Professor Muhammad Zaman at Boston University.
As global plastic use has surged, microplastic contamination has become widespread, with wastewater emerging as a major reservoir. At the same time, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is rising globally, with environmental factors playing a key role. Microplastics are well known to harbor bacterial communities on their surfaces—the “plastisphere.”
In the new study, researchers sought to quantify AMR at clinically relevant levels and explore how microplastic characteristics influence AMR development. The researchers used different plastic types (polystyrene, such as the packing peanuts used for shipping; polyethylene, found in plastic zip-top bags; and polypropylene, which is found in crates, bottles and jars) and sizes (from half a millimeter to 10 micrometers—similar scale to a typical bacterium) and incubated them with Escherichia coli for 10 days. Every 2 days, the researchers checked the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), or how much antibiotic is required to kill an infection, for 4 widely used antibiotics to determine if the bacteria were growing in resistance or not.
The researchers found that microplastics, regardless of the tested size and concentration, facilitated multidrug resistance in 4 tested antibiotics (ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline and streptomycin) in E. coli within 5-10 days of exposure.
The researchers demonstrated that microplastics alone can facilitate increased AMR development. “This means that microplastics substantially increase the risk of antibiotics becoming ineffective for a variety of high impact infections,” Gross said. Prior research primarily focused on antibiotic-driven resistance, without considering the role of environmental pollutants like microplastics. Studies with microplastics looked mostly at resistance factors such as antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) and biofilms, not the rate or magnitude of AMR via their minimum inhibitory concentration to different antibiotics.
The researchers found that resistance induced by microplastics and antibiotics was often significant, measurable and stable, even after antibiotics and microplastics were removed from the bacteria. Ultimately, this means that microplastic exposure may select for genotypic or phenotypic traits that maintain antimicrobial resistance, independent of antibiotic pressure.
“Our findings reveal that microplastics actively drive antimicrobial resistance development in E. coli, even in the absence of antibiotics, with resistance persisting beyond antibiotic and microplastic exposure,” Gross said. “This challenges the notion that microplastics are merely passive carriers of resistant bacteria and highlights their role as active hotspots for antimicrobial resistance evolution.” Given that polystyrene microplastics facilitated the highest levels of resistance, and that biofilm formation—known to enhance bacterial survival and drug resistance—was a key mechanism, the results underscore the urgent need to address microplastics pollution in antimicrobial resistance mitigation efforts.
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The American Society for Microbiology is one of the largest professional societies dedicated to the life sciences and is composed of over 37,000 scientists and health practitioners. ASM's mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences.
ASM advances the microbial sciences through conferences, publications, certifications, educational opportunities and advocacy efforts. It enhances laboratory capacity around the globe through training and resources. It provides a network for scientists in academia, industry and clinical settings. Additionally, ASM promotes a deeper understanding of the microbial sciences to all audiences.
Journal
Applied and Environmental Microbiology
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