The EU-funded ESMIC project on the coasts of Latvia and Lithuania found an average of 736 pieces of plastic waste per 100 meters of beach, 92% of which had Vibrio spp. bacteria attached. Laboratory tests showed that these bacteria are highly pathogenic to human skin and the respiratory tract, and can cause sepsis and meningitis. Lithuania’s health department reported a 27% year-on-year increase in the number of people seeking medical treatment for skin infections in the first quarter of 2025, mainly in the Baltic Sea coastal region.
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