TY - JOUR
T1 - Threats from antibiotics : a serious environmental concern
AU - Inyinbor, Adejumoke Abosede
AU - Bello, Olugbenga Solomon
AU - Fadiji, Ayomide Emmanuel
AU - Inyinbor, Henry Eromosele
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - Antibiotics are bioactive substances, used as human and animal medicines for illness prevention, disease treatment and growth promotion. They are considered to be pseudo persistent given their continuous input in the environment. Antibiotics enter agro ecosystems through several routes such as wastewater irrigation, soil application, animal manures or bio-solids which are mostly biologically active thus creating potential risks to the environment. They are present in different environmental matrices at low concentrations as residues. Antibiotic residues enter the environment primarily via urine, feces and manure from humans and animals after they have taken the medication, as well as from manufacturing wastewater. These residues contaminate the soil, surface water, and groundwater by leaching or runoff and ultimately breed antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and genes (ARG). These triune threat viz antibiotics, ARB and ARG have not been effectively removed by various treatment in wastewater treatment plants. Here, we put together existing knowledge and aim at providing in-depth knowledge to the extent to which a wide range of treatment processes determine the ultimate fate of antibiotic-bred threats (ARB and ARG) in conventional and advanced wastewater treatment. The use of antibiotics is inevitable, hence studies focusing on minimizing their discharge into the environment viz-a-viz support future regulatory measures are of great importance.
AB - Antibiotics are bioactive substances, used as human and animal medicines for illness prevention, disease treatment and growth promotion. They are considered to be pseudo persistent given their continuous input in the environment. Antibiotics enter agro ecosystems through several routes such as wastewater irrigation, soil application, animal manures or bio-solids which are mostly biologically active thus creating potential risks to the environment. They are present in different environmental matrices at low concentrations as residues. Antibiotic residues enter the environment primarily via urine, feces and manure from humans and animals after they have taken the medication, as well as from manufacturing wastewater. These residues contaminate the soil, surface water, and groundwater by leaching or runoff and ultimately breed antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and genes (ARG). These triune threat viz antibiotics, ARB and ARG have not been effectively removed by various treatment in wastewater treatment plants. Here, we put together existing knowledge and aim at providing in-depth knowledge to the extent to which a wide range of treatment processes determine the ultimate fate of antibiotic-bred threats (ARB and ARG) in conventional and advanced wastewater treatment. The use of antibiotics is inevitable, hence studies focusing on minimizing their discharge into the environment viz-a-viz support future regulatory measures are of great importance.
UR - https://hdl.handle.net/1959.7/uws:70719
U2 - 10.1016/j.jece.2017.12.056
DO - 10.1016/j.jece.2017.12.056
M3 - Article
SN - 2213-3437
SN - 2213-2929
VL - 6
SP - 784
EP - 793
JO - Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering
JF - Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering
IS - 1
ER -