Raw Sewage Has Turned The Hudson Into An Antibiotic-Resistant Cesspool
In case you needed to be told again, DO NOT SWIM IN THE HUDSON RIVER. DO NOT EAT THINGS YOU FIND IN THE HUDSON RIVER. If you can afford a jetski, take it to somewhere other than the Hudson River. The Hudson River is filled with raw sewage and is teeming with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
In a study published in the Journal of Water and Health, scientists have confirmed what you already knew — the Hudson River is really, really dirty. And filled with ampicillan and tetracycline-resistant microbes, probably thanks to the consistent presence of untreated raw sewage in the river from regular overflow and events like Hurricane Sandy, which casually released 11 billion gallons of sewage into New York and New Jersey rivers, lakes, and waterways.
The bacteria was found in locations from lower Manhattan up to the Tappan Zee Bridge. Apparently the heaviest concentrations were found in Yonkers, around 125th Street, and near La Guardia Airport.
According to Columbia's study, rivers incubate bacteria, allowing the transfer of drug-resistant genes to normal bacteria, which can then change into disease-causing bacteria.
