Antibiotics in the aquatic environment - A review - Part II

Antibiotics are widely used in humans and animals, but there is a big concern about their negative impacts on ecosystem and human health after use. So far there is a lack of information on emission inventory and environmental fate of antibiotics in China. We studied national consumption, emissions, and multimedia fate of 36 frequently detected antibiotics in China by market survey, data analysis, and level III fugacity modeling tools. Based on our survey, the total usage for the 36 chemicals was 92700 tons in 2013, an estimated 54000 tons of the antibiotics was excreted by human and animals, and eventually 53800 tons of them entered into the receiving environment following various wastewater treatments. The fugacity model successfully predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) in all 58 river basins of China, which are comparable to the reported measured environmental concentrations (MECs) available in some basins. The bacterial resistance rates in the hospitals and aquatic environments were found to b...

Comprehensive evaluation of antibiotics emission and fate in the river basins of China: source analysis, multimedia modeling, and linkage to bacterial resistance.

Veterinary antibiotics in the aquatic and terrestrial environment

In the last few decades, pharmaceuticals, credited with saving millions of lives, have emerged as a new class of environmental contaminant. These compounds can have both chronic and acute harmful effects on natural flora and fauna. The presence of pharmaceutical contaminants in ground waters, surface waters (lakes, rivers, and streams), sea water, wastewater treatment plants (influents and effluents), soils, and sludges has been well doccumented. A range of methods including oxidation, photolysis, UV-degradation, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, and adsorption has been used for their remediation from aqueous systems. Many methods have been commercially limited by toxic sludge generation, incomplete removal, high capital and operating costs, and the need for skilled operating and maintenance personnel. Adsorption technologies are a low-cost alternative, easily used in developing countries where there is a dearth of advanced technologies, skilled personnel, and available capital, and adsorption appears to be the most broadly feasible pharmaceutical removal method. Adsorption remediation methods are easily integrated with wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Herein, we have reviewed the literature (1990-2018) illustrating the rising environmental pharmaceutical contamination concerns as well as remediation efforts emphasizing adsorption.

Pharmaceuticals of Emerging Concern in Aquatic Systems: Chemistry, Occurrence, Effects, and Removal Methods.

Review of antibiotic resistance in China and its environment

In the last years more and more often detections of antimicrobially active compounds (“antibiotics”) in surface waters have been reported. As a possible input pathway in most cases municipal sewage has been discussed. But as an input from the realm of agriculture is conceivable as well, in this study it should be investigated if an input can occur via the pathway application of liquid manure on fields with the subsequent mechanisms surface run-off/interflow, leaching, and drift. For this purpose a series of surface waters, soils, and liquid manures from North Rhine-Westphalia (Northwestern Germany) were sampled and analyzed for up to 29 compounds by HPLC-MS/MS.

In each of the surface waters antibiotics could be detected. The highest concentrations were found in samples from spring (300 ng/L of erythromycin). Some of the substances detected (e.g., tylosin), as well as characteristics in the landscape suggest an input from agriculture in some particular cases. In the investigation of different liquid manure samples by a fast immunoassay method sulfadimidine could be detected in the range of 1…2 mg/kg. Soil that had been fertilized with this liquid manure showed a content of sulfadimidine extractable by accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) of 15 μg/kg dry weight even 7 months after the application. This indicates the high stability of some antibiotics in manure and soil.

Determination of Antibiotic Residues in Manure, Soil, and Surface Waters

s: SCHNEIDER R.J., CHRISTIAN T., FÄRBER H., SKUTLAREK D., MEYER M.T., GOLDBACH H.E. (2002): Bestimmung von Antibiotikarückständen in Gülle, Boden und Oberflächengewässern. In: Kurzreferate – Jahrestagung 2002. Wasserchemische Gesellschaft, Fachgrupe in der Gesellschaft Dt. Chemiker (Hrsg.), S. 455 – 459, ISBN 3-936028-09-5 CHRISTIAN T., SCHNEIDER R.J., FÄRBER H.A., SKUTLAREK D., GOLDBACH H.E. (2003): Untersuchung zum Vorkommen von Antibiotika in Oberflächengewässern und im landwirtschaftlichen Umfeld. In: Kurzreferate – Jahrestagung 2003. Wasserchemische Gesellschaft, Fachgrupe in der Gesellschaft Dt. Chemiker (Hrsg.), S. 455 – 459, ISBN 3-936028-09-5 CHRISTIAN T., SCHNEIDER R.J., FÄRBER H.A., SKUTLAREK D., GOLDBACH H.E. (2003): Determination of antibiotic residues in manure, soil and surface waters. In: Proceedings of the “3 International Conference on Pharmaceuticals and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Water“, National Ground Water Association (Hrsg.), S. 78-86 (extended abstract), Omnipress Omnipro-CD; erhältlich über www.ngwa.org -> Online-Store

Untersuchungen zum Eintrag von Antibiotika und natürlichen endokrinen Disruptoren nach Gülleausbringung in Gewässer Nordrhein-Westfalens

In this paper, a scientific study on the understanding of the erosion and transfer processes of suspended solids or sediments from the Congo River into the Stanley-Pool Bay was conducted. For this purpose, a treatment of rainfall data over three decades (1990-2020), parameters influencing the process of erosive dynamics leading to the realization of the water erosion map using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), was done. Using open access spatial data and GIS, this USLE model allowed quantifying the rate of material transported over the three decades: a spatialization of erosion risks on the right bank of the Congo River, notably in the Stanley-Pool Bay, a topography dominated by steep slopes up to 10%, a high erosivity and erodibility and a low soil protection were revealed. Finally, the results of the study show that about 40% of the study area is subject to soil loss. The erosion risk is very severe despite the vegetation cover.

Thorsten Christian

Papers

Determination of Antibiotic Residues in Manure, Soil, and Surface Waters

Untersuchungen zum Eintrag von Antibiotika und natürlichen endokrinen Disruptoren nach Gülleausbringung in Gewässer Nordrhein-Westfalens

Water erosion potential of the congo river in the stanley-pool bay