Persistence of 'wet wipes' in beach sand: An unrecognised reservoir for localised E. coli contamination.
Persistence of 'wet wipes' in beach sand: An unrecognised reservoir for localised E. coli contamination.
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DOI：
10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116175
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发表时间：
2024-02
影响因子：
5.8
通讯作者：
Rebecca Metcalf;Rosie Fellows;Hannah L. White;R. Quilliam
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Rebecca Metcalf;Rosie Fellows;Hannah L. White;R. Quilliam
湿纸巾被冲下厕所导致下水道系统堵塞。再加上不受管制的污水排放，往往导致越来越多的湿巾被冲上海滩。然而，目前还不清楚湿巾在海滩上能坚持多久，以及如果被E污染，它们是否会造成长期的公共卫生风险。在该围隔生态系统研究中，三种类型的湿巾（含塑料，家庭和商业堆肥）与大肠杆菌定殖。大肠杆菌在海滩沙中的降解、拉伸强度和E.在15周内定量大肠杆菌。含有塑料的湿巾在15周内基本保持完整，而两种可堆肥湿巾都破碎并降解。重要的是，E.大肠杆菌在所有三种湿巾类型上持续存在，代表了大肠杆菌的局部储存。在海滩的沙滩上可能存在大肠杆菌，这可能会对人类健康造成威胁。
The flushing of wet wipes down toilets leads to blockages of sewerage systems. This, together with unregulated sewage discharge, often results in increasing numbers of wet wipes washing up onto beaches. However, it is unclear how long wet wipes can persist on the beach and whether they pose a prolonged public health risk if contaminated byE. coli.In this mesocosm study, three types of wet wipes (plastic containing, and home and commercially compostable) colonised withE. coliwere buried in beach sand and their degradation, tensile strength, and concentration ofE. coliwas quantified over 15 weeks. Wet wipes containing plastic remained largely intact for 15 weeks, whilst both compostable wet wipes fragmented and degraded. Importantly,E. colipersisted on all three wet wipe types, representing localised reservoirs ofE. coliin the sand, which could present a human health risk at the beach.