Hong Kong scientist’s global research expected to shed light on link between ‘superbugs’ and drug-polluted water
- UN programme endorses City University scientist’s project to examine pollution of estuaries
- Research expected to reveal ills that need fixing to ensure clean water, healthy ecosystems
A Hong Kong scientist is leading a worldwide study of coastal pollution, particularly by drugs that have contributed to the worsening problem of treatment-resistant superbugs.
The Global Estuaries Monitoring Programme, run by Professor Kenneth Leung Mei-yee of City University, is one of 66 proposals endorsed last month by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development programme, which aims to develop better ocean management practices globally.
Experts say the 10-year project will be important in identifying the world’s most polluted estuaries, where rivers meet the sea, and raising issues that must be dealt with to ensure clean water and healthy ecosystems.
These could develop into superbugs, which means when humans get infected, our medication will no longer work
It is also expected to shed more light on the relationship between water pollution by drugs such as antibiotics and the rise of superbugs.
“Micro-organisms in the environment have a tendency to react to pharmaceutical pollution by developing resistance to drugs,” said Leung, director of the university’s State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution.
“These could develop into superbugs, which means when humans get infected, our medication will no longer work.”
Pharmaceutical pollutants are also known to affect marine animals, with previous research uncovering changes in their aggression, sense of smell and even courtship behaviour.