Environmental Health Laboratory, Department of Environmental Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Key Laboratory for Heavy Metal Pollution Control and Reutilization, School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Sci Total Environ. 2021 Oct 15;791:148298. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148298. Epub 2021 Jun 5.
Antibiotics contamination in the water environment is a high priority global concern. Growing levels of antibiotics in freshwater resources, especially groundwater, due to anthropogenic sources such as pharmaceutical and veterinary applications, are alarming. The present study aims to investigate the occurrence, spatial distribution, source apportionment, ecological, and human health risks of antibiotics (n = 23) in groundwater samples (n = 144) of highly populated cities of Pakistan. The elevated level of antibiotics was detected in Faisalabad with the mean concentrations of 13.8 ng/L, followed by Gujrat (7.8 ng/L), Lahore (4.04 ng/L), Quetta 3.9 ng/L, Rawalpindi/Islamabad (2.29 ng/L), and Peshawar (2.03 ng/L), respectively. Out of 23 investigated antibiotics, tigecycline and ciprofloxacin were predominantly present in groundwater with average concentrations of 21.3 ng/L and 18.2 ng/L, respectively. The spatial distribution analyses revealed that among the targeted cities, Faisalabad, an industrial hub of the country, had the most polluted groundwater with dominant classes of antibiotics including quinolones (except flumequine), β-Lactams, tetracyclines, sulfonamides, and amphenicols, implying an elevated consumption of human and veterinary drugs in the city. The occurrence of targeted antibiotics varied greatly among cities (p < 0.05). PCA-MLR analysis confirmed domestic discharge (31%), animal husbandry (19%), and pharmaceutical/hospital discharge (48%) as the chief contributors to antibiotics contamination in groundwater of Faisalabad. The risk quotient (RQ) values of targeted antibiotics were reported as 1.16E-07 to 1.03E-02, and demonstrated that antibiotics pose no risks to human health, while hazard quotient (HQ) values were observed as 09.5E-05 to 6.6E-01, and only ciprofloxacin, flumequine, oxytetracycline, and sulfamethoxazole revealed moderate to low ecological risks to water species (0.1 < HQ < 1). Since, no detailed study has been conducted to evaluate the antibiotics' contamination in groundwater of Pakistan, this robust investigation provides a way forward to further explore the environmental and human health implications of antibiotics in major urban-rural settings in the region.
抗生素在水环境中的污染是一个备受全球关注的重点问题。由于人为因素，如医药和兽医应用，淡水资源，尤其是地下水，中的抗生素含量不断增加，令人震惊。本研究旨在调查巴基斯坦人口稠密城市的地下水样本（n=144）中抗生素（n=23）的存在、空间分布、来源分配、生态和人类健康风险。在费萨拉巴德检测到了较高水平的抗生素，平均浓度为 13.8ng/L，其次是古吉拉特邦（7.8ng/L）、拉合尔（4.04ng/L）、奎达（3.9ng/L）、拉瓦尔品第/伊斯兰堡（2.29ng/L）和白沙瓦（2.03ng/L）。在所研究的 23 种抗生素中，替加环素和环丙沙星在地下水中的含量最高，平均浓度分别为 21.3ng/L 和 18.2ng/L。空间分布分析显示，在所研究的城市中，作为该国工业中心的费萨拉巴德地下水污染最严重，主要存在的抗生素类别包括喹诺酮类（除外氟甲喹）、β-内酰胺类、四环素类、磺胺类和酰胺醇类，这表明该城市人类和兽药的使用量较高。目标抗生素在城市之间的差异很大（p<0.05）。PCA-MLR 分析证实，国内污水排放（31%）、畜牧业（19%）和医药/医院污水排放（48%）是费萨拉巴德地下水抗生素污染的主要贡献者。目标抗生素的风险商（RQ）值为 1.16E-07 至 1.03E-02，表明抗生素对人类健康没有风险，而危害商（HQ）值为 0.95E-05 至 6.6E-01，仅环丙沙星、氟甲喹、氧四环素和磺胺甲恶唑对水生物种显示出中等至低的生态风险（0.1<HQ<1）。由于尚未对巴基斯坦地下水抗生素污染进行详细研究，因此本研究为进一步探讨该地区主要城乡地区抗生素对环境和人类健康的影响提供了途径。
