News in Brief Environment

Recycled water may flood urban parks with dangerous germs

With irrigation, drug resistance genes swamp the soil

DIRTY WATER  Soil in urban parks that use reclaimed water for irrigation may have high numbers of drug-resistant microbes.

wiredtourist.com/flickr (CC BY 2.0)

By Beth Mole

- More than 2 years ago

Sprinkling city parks with recycled water may create a breeding ground for hard-to-treat microbes. In a survey of parks in seven Chinese cities, researchers found that parks irrigated with treated wastewater were awash in signs of drug-resistant germs.