According to recent news from the Guardian newspaper shampoo in the water supply is triggering the growth of deadly drug-resistant bugs.

Scientists from Birmingham and Warwick universities say disinfectants and other products washed into sewers and rivers are triggering the growth of drug-resistant microbes. It has been discovered that soil samples taken from a wide range of areas contain high levels of bacteria with antibiotic-resistant genes. This shocking discovery is raising fears that these potentially dangerous bugs may have already been transmitted to humans.

It’s not just shampoo which is to blame. Dr William Gaze of Warwick University told the Guardian “Every year, the nation produces 1.5m tonnes of sewage sludge and most of that is spread on farmland. In addition, we pump 11bn litres of water from houses and factories into our rivers and estuaries every day, and these are also spreading resistance.”

“Our research shows drug resistance is not confined to hospitals, but is out in the community. It is spreading and all the time it is eroding our ability to control infections. It is extremely worrying,” said Professor Liz Wellington, also of Warwick University.

Scientists are concerned that the bacteria will get into the bodies of agricultural workers or people who use the land recreationally, and will then become difficult to monitor and control.