Antibiotics in the aquatic environments: A review of the European scenario

• Published in: Environment international Vol. 94; pp. 736 - 757
• Main Authors: Carvalho, Isabel T., Santos, Lúcia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2016
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - analysis; Anti-Bacterial Agents - toxicity; Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotics; Aquatic ecotoxicity; Aquatic environment; Aquatic Organisms - drug effects; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Europe; European scenario; Humans; Multiresidue analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; ANE, Europe; Europe; Aquatic environment; Aquatic ecotoxicity; Antibiotics; European scenario; Multiresidue analysis; Antibiotic resistance
• ISSN: 0160-4120; 1873-6750
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2016.06.025

The discovery of antibiotics is considered one of the most significant scientific achievements of the 20th century, revolutionizing both human and veterinary medicine. However, antibiotics have been recently recognized as an emerging class of environmental contaminants since they have been massively administrated in humans and animals and persist in the environment through a complex vicious cycle of transformation and bioaccumulation. The diffusion of antibiotics in the environment, particularly in natural water systems, contributes to the development and global dissemination of antibiotic resistance. This phenomenon is one of the most important challenges to the health care sector in the 21st century. As a result, studies on the occurrence, fate, and effects of antibiotics in European aqueous environments have increased in the last years. Nevertheless, their potential aquatic ecotoxicity and human toxicity via environmental exposure routes remain unknown. Consequently, antibiotics are not regulated through the current European environmental water quality standards, which requires evidence concerning their widespread environmental contamination and intrinsic hazard. In this context, this literature review summarizes the state of knowledge on the occurrence of antibiotics in the different aqueous environmental systems across the Europe, as reported since 2000. Relating this subject to antibiotic consumption and their dynamic behavior in the environment, the acquired insights provide an improved understanding on aquatic pollution by antibiotics to outline the European scenario. Moreover, it addresses challenges, prospects for future research, and typical topics to stimulate discussion. Graphical abstract [Display omitted] •Antibiotics in aquatic environments are a serious threat to ecological sustainability and human health.•Aqueous environments across the Europe are contaminated by antibiotics.•Quinolones, sulfonamides, and trimethoprim are the most studied and detected antibiotics.•Europeans can be exposed to low levels of antibiotics by drinking water consumption.•Monitoring the European water pollution by antibiotics is crucial to assess the risks.