An international study indicated that air pollution increases antibiotic resistance, endangering human health. The 20-year research, which contains data from over 100 countries, shows a substantial link between air pollution and antibiotic resistance worldwide.
The study by Chinese and UK experts found a more vital link between air pollution and antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance has increased more with air pollution, according to a report from The Guardian. This groundbreaking Lancet Planetary Health study provides a worldwide picture of how air pollution influences antibiotic resistance.
The High-Risk Link
While the overuse and abuse of antibiotics continue to be significant contributors to antibiotic resistance, this research emphasizes the aggravating effect of growing air pollution without going into the specific scientific reasons behind this relationship. PM2.5, a component of air pollution, may include antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes that people may inhale and spread.
Air pollution, the biggest environmental health threat, causes chronic illnesses, including heart disease, asthma, and lung cancer. The study's findings highlight the urgency of the global pollution effort.
Lead author Prof. Hong Chen of Zhejiang University in China emphasizes the study's broad implications: "Air pollution and antibiotic resistance are two of the biggest risks to world health." He noted that experts only obtained a strong knowledge of the relationship between the two due to the recent study. Chen added that the result also indicated that our research suggests that lowering air pollution may have positive effects.
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The Study Also Suggests Opportunity
While not involved in the study, Dr. Zeeshan Afzal, a health content advisor at Welzo, notes that "antibiotic resistance" is already a grave health concern worldwide, hence "identifying novel environmental factors contributing to it can markedly enhance our understanding and strategies for control," per Medical News Today.
Dr. Afzal noted that the study examined one aspect of PM2.5 pollution overlooked despite its health risks. By linking PM2.5 pollution to antibiotic resistance, the research illuminates the impacts of poor air quality.
Moreover, an article from Science Alert suggested that researchers must also study antibiotic resistance outside PM2.5, including pollution exposure, food, animal husbandry, and environmental disasters.
Although the mechanisms by which air pollution causes antibiotic resistance are unknown for now, the study has established that a relationship exists between the two threats to health. In addition, health experts say that air pollution significantly links to conditions like heart disease, asthma, lung capacity loss, and depression.
