Antibiotics in groundwater

Description

Antibiotics used in human and veterinary medicine can damage aquatic organisms upon entry into the water cycle and lead to the development of resistance of pathogenic microorganisms. As part of the Water Status Monitoring Ordinance, a special measurement programme was carried out by the Federal Environment Agency at 50 Austrian sites. The aim of the study was to assess the presence and toxicological relevance of 18 selected antibiotics in groundwater. The results show that even in Austria, in rare cases, antibiotics can be detected in groundwater. However, they occur in concentrations that can be classified as harmless both human- and ecotoxicologically. Potential environmental effects of degradation products of these pharmaceuticals or of various mixtures of substances are currently unexplained.

Resources

Name Format Description Link
33 https://www.umweltbundesamt.at/fileadmin/site/publikationen/REP0258.pdf
33 https://www.umweltbundesamt.at/fileadmin/site/publikationen/REP0258.pdf

Tags

  • arzneimittel
  • wasser
  • opendocument

Topics

  • ENVI

Categories