Plastic Eating Bacteria Has Some Unintended Consequences For Electronics

[jonovid]

some scientists are working to find and develop plastic-eating organisms
plastic eating bacteria may help with the world’s plastic waste and fight against plastic pollution.
however plastic eating bugs or microorganisms may also have some unintended consequences for electronics
for example eating wiring insulation and other plastic components.
some times we need plastics to have a high level of durability. not decay or decompose over time, like cotton, rubber ,paper ,wood or steel.
particularly when exposed to moisture.

https://c3newsmag.com/the-race-to-develop-plastic-eating-bacteria/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottcarpenter/2021/03/10/the-race-to-develop-plastic-eating-bacteria/?sh=41adaecf7406

scientists found a caterpillar that eats plastic
https://www.discovermagazine.com/environment/scientists-found-a-caterpillar-that-eats-plastic-could-it-help-solve-our

[Karel]

When I was a kid, I read this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Mutant-59-Plastic-Kit-Pedler-ebook/dp/B0081RLFEY

Based on the classic sci-fi series Doomwatch, Mutant 59 imagines one of the most terrifying tragedies that
modern science could create, a chilling and topical story of what happens when scientific research goes wrong
and spreads terror through London (and endangers the world). When an airplane crashes the Ministry of
Transport investigates, what caused it to fall out of the sky and could it happen again? Slowly they discover
that science has unleashed a genetically engineered bacteria that feeds on (and destroys) all plastic materials.
No-one takes any notice of the material used to build gas pipes, electrical insulation, cars and planes until it
begins to disintegrate and explode. Has science created a biological time bomb? A jet plane crashes near
Heathrow, in the Atlantic a nuclear submarine disappears without trace, central London grinds to a halt. As
power stations explode and London's population is evacuated Anna Kramer and Luke Gerrard search for the
scientific key to a fiery holocaust that is capable of infecting the world.

[Kleinstein]

It is unlikely that a bacteria would eat all plastics, there are quite a few different ones and some have not much in common (e.g. PTFE - PE - silicones).
Wood is around for a long time an in many respects more attractive to bacteria than plastics - still we can make things from wood, that last for a reasonable time. The plastics may provide energy, but very few types (if any) provide phosporous as an essential ingrediance for any life as we know it. So if at all it would be a slow process needing other food sources too.

[David Hess]

Some LCD polarizing films are susceptible to being eaten by microorganisms.

Electronics being eaten by a bacteria is a major plot point of Larry Niven's Ringworld series, at least starting with the second book.

[Rick Law]

...
Based on the classic sci-fi series Doomwatch, Mutant 59 imagines one of the most terrifying tragedies that
modern science could create...  ...When an airplane crashes the Ministry of
Transport investigates, what caused it to fall out of the sky and could it happen again? Slowly they discover
that science has unleashed a genetically engineered bacteria that feeds on (and destroys) all plastic materials.
No-one takes any notice of the material used to build gas pipes, electrical insulation, cars and planes until it
begins to disintegrate and explode
...

Doomwatch / "The plastic eater" (1970-1971) was one to two years after Michael Crichton's 1969 book "The Andromeda Strain".  The Andromeda Strain is based on a bug of ET origin that degrades synthetic rubber and plastics.  Apart from killing a town (turning blood into powder), the ET bug caught additional attention from causing a plane crash.  So Doomwatch is kind of a copycat.  The Andromeda Strain was made into a movie released in 1971. 

Those two are fiction, imagination only.  This however is real: Soy based electrical insulation eaten by mice.  Lawsuits against Toyota and Honda were filed in 2016.    Lawsuits against Hyundai and Kia were filed in 2017.  It is not just mice and not just Japanese and Korean cars.  A relative of mine can kept squirrels from eating his wires (definitely US made but not sure of model, Dodge Ram, I think).

NHOU Protective Coatings manufacturer site article: "Will your brand new car be disabled overnight by a rodent?
Does Your Car Have Wiring That Rodents Think Is Tasty?"
^{https://nhoilundercoating.com/soy-based-wiring-how-to-help-keep-mice-out/}

CarFromJapan.Com site article: "Which Cars Do Not Have Soy-Based Wiring? Keeping Cars Infestation Free!"
^{https://carfromjapan.com/article/car-maintenance/which-cars-do-not-have-soy-based-wiring/}

[G7PSK]

No need to look they are already here, nature always finds a way. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2227722/

I have seen fiberglass boats that have been attacked by bacteria and fungus such that the material breaks down also some marine worms will bore through fiber galss hulls.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideonella_sakaiensis