Viruses survive in fresh water by ‘hitchhiking’ on plastic: Study
Context
As per a recent research, dangerous viruses can remain infectious for up to three days in fresh water by hitchhiking on plastic.
Key-findings
- This is the first research into how viruses behave in the environment.
- Enteric viruses that cause diarrhoea and stomach upsets, such as rotavirus, were found to survive in water by attaching to microplastics, tiny particles less than 5mm long.
- They remain infectious, University of Stirling researchers found, posing a potential health risk.
MicroplasticsMicroplastics are small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long which can be harmful to our ocean and aquatic life. |
