What Do We Know about Antibiotics in the Environment?
Antibiotics are used extensively in human and veterinary medicine as well as in aquaculture for the purpose of preventing or treating microbial infections, while in livestock farming they are used to promote the growth of animals. Some antibiotics are als
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What Do We Know about Antibiotics in the Environment? R. Alexy· A. SchOll . T. Kiimpel . K. Kiimmerer
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Introduction Antibiotics are used extensively in human and veterinary medicine as well as in aquaculture for the purpose of preventing or treating microbial infections, while in livestock farming they are used to promote the growth of animals. Some antibiotics are also used in fruit growing and in bee keeping. Antibiotics are only partially eliminated in sewage treatment plants and residual amounts can reach surface waters, groundwater or sediments. In natural waters, most pharmaceuticals are only found in the Ilg rl range. Since biocidal substances are designed to cause a biological effect, when reaching the environment they may affect bacteria and other water and soil-dwelling organisms. It is only in recent years that a more complex investigation of antibiotic substances has been undertaken in order to permit an assessment of the environmental risks they may pose. An intensive search of the literature was performed in order to obtain information on the ecotoxicity of antimicrobials. In recent years more data and broader knowledge have become available. In this chapter, we use the new data to address the major questions and concerns relating to the presence of antibiotics in the environment. 17.2
Use, Emission and Occurrence of Antibiotics in the Environment Large quantities of antibiotics are applied in human medicine for the treatment of diseases. After administration, these substances or their metabolites are excreted into the effluent and reach the sewage treatment plant (STP). If they are not eliminated during the purification process, they pass through the sewage system and may end up in the environment, mainly in the water compartment. Antibacterial substances applied in the veterinary field are introduced into the environment when manure is spread on fields. If not degraded, these antibiotics may end up in the soil or sediment, or in groundwater in runoff from the soil. In intensive fish farming infections are treated by feeding antimicrobial agents directly into the water. This results in high local concentrations in the water compartment and in the adjoining sediments. Although antibiotics have been applied in large quantities over a period of some decades, it is only recently that the existence of these substances in the environment has been accorded any attention. The following sections report the occurrence and behaviour of antibiotics in different environmental compartments.
K. Kümmerer (ed.), Pharmaceuticals in the Environment © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2004
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R. Alexy . A. SchOll . T. Kiimpel . K. Kiimmerer
Data on the use of antibiotics in different countries are available from different sources, but they are still not complete (Kiimmerer 2003). Wise (2002) estimated that worldwide about 100 000-200 000 t of antibiotics are used. 250 antibiotic and antimycotic substances are used in medicine and veterinary medicine in Germany (Kiimmerer and Henninger 2003). In 1996, about
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