With all of the will they or won’t they tariffs that might hit Canadian steel in the very near future, plenty of beverage brands are lasciviously rubbing their hands together and eyeing plastic bottles as a likely alternative.

However, they might want to reconsider, given that Applied and Environmental Microbiology released an alarming study earlier this week showing that microplastics are worsening antibiotic resistance. Noting that mismanaged waste can present a potential public health threat, researchers posited that folks in crowded low-income communities might especially be at risk. Wastewater, in particular, can serve as a potential breeding ground given how easily microplastics can make their way through treatment plants given their size—but it also presents an opportunity for them to attach themselves to organic material.  

“The fact that there are microplastics all around us, and even more so in impoverished places where sanitation may be limited, is a striking part of this observation,” said Muhammad Zaman, one of the study’s authors and a BU College of Engineering professor of biomedical engineering, in a statement. “There is certainly a concern that this could present a higher risk in communities that are disadvantaged, and only underscores the need for more vigilance and a deeper insight into [microplastic and bacterial] interactions.”