Assessment of Potential Antibiotic Contaminants in Water and Preliminary Occurrence Analysis

Abstract

Antibiotics are among the emerging microcontaminants in water because of concerns of their potential adverse effects on the ecosystem and possibly on human health. Antibiotics are likely to be released into the aquatic environment via wastewater effluent and agricultural runoff as a result of incomplete metabolism, ineffective treatment removal or improper disposal because large quantities of antibiotics are used annually in human therapy and in agriculture. Despite large quantities of use, published data on the amounts and use patterns of antibiotics are scarce. To assess the magnitude of the potential risks associated with antibiotics, a comprehensive literature review was conducted on the usage, occurrence, and behavior of antibiotics.