In July, the National Science Foundation awarded Yin Wang, assistant professor, civil and environmental engineering, and his collaborators with a three-year, $420,000 research grant to study the impact of corrosion inhibitors and corrosion products on antibiotic-resistant bacteria in drinking water. The project will start Aug. 15. UWM’s share is $203,698.
Wang is working with Ryan Newton, assistant professor, UWM’s School of Freshwater Sciences and Patrick McNamara, associate professor, civil, construction and environmental engineering, Marquette University. They are collaborating with water utilities to determine the interplay between resistance genes, pipe surfaces, and drinking water chemistry in real-world distribution systems. The goal is to determine which water pipe materials and corrosion inhibitors result in minimal antibiotic resistance. Details on the grant and the researchers’ goals can be found here.
Water-system components can contribute to superbug proliferation
Drinking water distribution systems are a source of genetic material that make so-called superbugs: genetically mutated, antibiotic-resistant bacteria. “Certain metals are known to promote the development of antibiotic resistance,” Wang says. “Some of these metals are present in distribution systems due to pipe corrosion and the presence of corrosion inhibitors commonly used in aging infrastructure.”
Water distribution systems can directly convey antibiotic resistance genes to vulnerable populations including children, the elderly, hospital patients, and people with weakened immune systems, Wang says.
About Wang’s research
Wang researches detection, occurrence, fate and transport, and treatment of recalcitrant and emerging waterborne pollutants. He is working on the development of advanced and sustainable materials and technologies for water purification applications with primary focuses on the treatment of PFAS, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, heavy metals (e.g., lead) and metalloids (e.g., arsenic), and problematic oxyanions (e.g., nitrate, bromate).