Antibiotic Concentrations Decrease During Wastewater Treatment but Persist at Low Levels in Reclaimed Water

Details

• Personal Author:
  Gibbs SG ; Kulkarni P ; Olson ND ; Raspanti GA ; Rosenberg Goldstein RE ; Sapkota A ; Sapkota AR
• Description:
  Reclaimed water has emerged as a potential irrigation solution to freshwater shortages. However, limited data exist on the persistence of antibiotics in reclaimed water used for irrigation. Therefore, we examined the fate of nine commonly-used antibiotics (ampicillin, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, linezolid, oxacillin, oxolinic acid, penicillin G, pipemidic acid, and tetracycline) in differentially treated wastewater and reclaimed water from two U.S. regions. We collected 72 samples from two Mid-Atlantic and two Midwest treatment plants, as well as one Mid-Atlantic spray irrigation site. Antibiotic concentrations were measured using liquid-chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon tests and Kruskal Wallis tests. Overall, antibiotic concentrations in effluent samples were lower than that of influent samples. Mid-Atlantic plants had similar influent but lower effluent antibiotic concentrations compared to Midwest plants. Azithromycin was detected at the highest concentrations (of all antibiotics) in influent and effluent samples from both regions. For most antibiotics, transport from the treatment plant to the irrigation site resulted in no changes in antibiotic concentrations, and UV treatment at the irrigation site had no effect on antibiotic concentrations in reclaimed water. Our findings show that low-level antibiotic concentrations persist in reclaimed water used for irrigation; however, the public health implications are unclear at this time. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Anti-Bacterial Agents Occupational Health Public Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Antibiotics Author Keywords: Antibiotics Bacteria Liquid-chromatography-tandem Mass Spectrometry Public Health Reclaimed Water Waste Treatment Wastewater Treatment Water Sprays Water Supply
• ISSN:
  1660-4601
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Indiana ; Maryland ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  14
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20056753
• Citation:
  Int J Environ Res Public Health 2017 Jun; 14(6):668
• Contact Point Address:
  Amy R. Sapkota, Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, University of Maryland School of Public Health, 4200 Valley Drive, College Park, MD 20742, USA
• Email:
  ars@umd.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Performing Organization:
  University of Maryland College Park Campus
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20090901
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• End Date:
  20120831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b9adf4b825a8b423e030bff2788f033d780583875d57a5ab2f19d4c645c93dfad9c7d418353541d6ce8a458db2db5c8be83100701a1461588ac47b4aec7cc667
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214298/cdc_214298_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 856.18 KB ]