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Combined Microplastic–Antibiotic Pollution in Surface Water: Distribution, Interaction Mechanisms, Risks, and Implications for Mitigation by Constructed Wetlands
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This review summarizes existing research on tiny plastic particles and antibiotics found together in surface waters, how they interact chemically, and the risks they may pose, including toxicity and antibiotic resistance spread. It also looks at whether constructed wetlands, which use plants, soil and microbes to treat water, could help reduce this combined pollution.
Microplastics (MPs) and antibiotics are two widely occurring emerging pollutants in surface water environments, and their co-occurrence complicates pollutant transport, transformation, and risk control. This review systematically summarizes the distribution characteristics of microplastics and antibiotics, the current status of combined microplastic-antibiotic pollution, and the major mechanisms governing their interactions, including hydrophobic interactions, electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, π–π interactions, and van der Waals forces. With regard to mitigation, direct evidence from MP–antibiotic co-exposure studies in constructed wetlands remains limited, whereas separate studies of MP retention and antibiotic attenuation provide mechanistic support for potential roles of substrate, plant, and microbial processes. This review also evaluates ecological and health risks associated with adsorption, trophic transfer, combined toxicity, and antibiotic resistance gene dissemination, supplemented by screening-level quotient analyses, species sensitivity distribution (SSD)-derived benchmarks, and exposure-based approaches. Future research should focus on long-term microplastic retention, antibiotic attenuation, resistance-risk control, and integrated risk assessment under realistic surface water conditions.
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Microplastics and Antibiotics in Aquatic Environments: A Review of Their Interactions and Ecotoxicological Implications
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This review examines how microplastics and antibiotics interact when they meet in water, and what that means for ecosystems and health. Antibiotics can attach to microplastic surfaces through chemical bonds, and the microplastics can then carry these drugs through the environment, potentially spreading antibiotic-resistant bacteria. While the combined threat to fish and other aquatic life needs more study, the findings raise concerns about how microplastics help move antibiotic resistance through water systems.
Co-occurence of antibiotics and micro(nano)plastics: a systematic review between 2016-2021
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This systematic review examines how microplastics and antibiotics interact in the environment. It finds that microplastics can absorb and carry antibiotics, potentially spreading antibiotic resistance and creating combined health risks that are greater than either pollutant alone.
Decoding the interactions between antibiotics and microplastics-chemistry, environmental impacts, and mitigation approaches- A state-of-the-art review
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This review examines how antibiotics and microplastics interact in the environment, forming complexes that can persist longer and travel farther than either pollutant alone. Researchers found that these complexes can serve as reservoirs for antimicrobial resistance and disrupt microbial communities. The study highlights an underappreciated environmental risk where two common pollutants combine to create compounding ecological and public health challenges.
Ecotoxicological Effects of Microplastics Combined With Antibiotics in the Aquatic Environment: Recent Developments and Prospects
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This review examines how microplastics and antibiotics interact in water environments, finding that microplastics can absorb antibiotics onto their surfaces and carry them over long distances. When aquatic organisms encounter these antibiotic-laden microplastics, the combined toxicity can be worse than either pollutant alone. Microplastics also promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes, which is a growing public health concern.
Synergistic Effects of Antibiotics and Nanoplastics in Wastewater: A Growing Challenge in Aquatic Ecosystem, Biodiversity and Human Health Protection
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Tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) and antibiotic residues in wastewater don't just pollute water separately—when combined, they become more toxic and harmful together, and can also help bacteria become resistant to antibiotics. This matters because these contaminants can build up in fish and other food we eat, and our current wastewater treatment plants aren't well-equipped to filter them out. This paper reviews existing research on the problem and calls for better technology and policies to keep these combined pollutants out of our water supply.
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