Microplastics range in size from 1 nanometer to 5 millimeters, with the largest about the size of a pencil eraser, experts say. Svetlozar Hristov/iStockphoto/Getty Images
By Sandee LaMotte, CNN – March 11, 2025
By being an excellent host for slimy biofilms created by bacteria to protect themselves from attack, microplastics may be contributing to the proliferation of dangerous antibiotic-resistant superbugs, a new study found.
“Microplastics are like rafts — a bacteria on its own might not be able to swim down a river, but riding in its biofilm on a tiny bit of plastic it can be disseminated into many different environments,” said study first author Neila Gross, a doctoral student in materials science and engineering at Boston University…