Triclosan Impacts on Wastewater Treatment

As people use antibiotics and products containing antibacterial substances the bacteria that are resistant to the effects of these products survive and reproduce, thus creating a selection for antibiotic resistant bacteria. Many of these bacteria and the antibacterial substances ultimately make their way into the waste stream and are mixed together and concentrated at wastewater treatment plants, where they interact and can create further selection for organisms with antibiotic resistance to multiple antibacterial substances resulting in what are commonly known as “super bugs”. If these antibiotic resistant organisms are not entirely removed during the wastewater treatment process, these organisms then are released into the environment where they can eventually affect humans and other species. One antimicrobial substance of particular concern is triclosan, which is present in numerous personal care products, because it has been shown to help select for organisms that show antibiotic resistance not just to triclosan but also to a multitude of other antibiotics. Researchers at the University of Minnesota are using this appropriation to improve understanding of the role of triclosan in selecting for antibiotic resistant bacteria during the municipal wastewater treatment process.