Microplastics in soil pose global threat by acting like ‘Trojan horse’ to deliver toxins

The Guardian World Wednesday 16 September 2026, 12:00 UTC By Pippa Neill Environment reporter 1 min read

Key Points

Exclusive: Plastic surfaces form hotspots with an increase of antibiotic-resistant genes, study findsMicroplastics act like a “Trojan horse” delivering pollutants, pesticides and bacteria through the soil, a five-year multinational research project has found. The EU-funded project, which has so far resulted in 22 peer-reviewed studies, found microplastics in the soil of all 227 agricultural fields it tested across 11 European countries. The researchers said this poses a global threat, with...

Exclusive: Plastic surfaces form hotspots with an increase of antibiotic-resistant genes, study finds

Microplastics act like a “Trojan horse” delivering pollutants, pesticides and bacteria through the soil, a five-year multinational research project has found.

The EU-funded project, which has so far resulted in 22 peer-reviewed studies, found microplastics in the soil of all 227 agricultural fields it tested across 11 European countries. The researchers said this poses a global threat, with healthy soils essential for life on Earth.

EU (ORG) European (ORG) Earth (LOCATION)

Originally published by The Guardian World Read original →

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Microplastics in soil pose global threat by acting like ‘Trojan horse’ to deliver toxins

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