Assessing the mobility of veterinary drugs with column experiments using different soils and under controlled flow conditions

Abstract

Veterinary pharmaceuticals are pollutants that received much attention during the last 20 years. Macrocyclic lactones are a class of drugs globally used in animal and human health, as well as crops protection. Some of its members are key substances for global food security. In this research, the mobility of eprinomectin (EPM) in soil columns (25 cm soil height; 10 cm diameter) was assessed for the first time. Soil density in the columns was 1.1–1.2 g/cm3. Porosity was 0.54–0.60. Three different soil types were used (agricultural, pastoral, wetland). In the experiment, chloride was used as a non-reactive tracer to determine the hydrodynamic conditions in the columns. Therefore, water velocity (v) was 0.146–0.151 cm/h, dispersion coefficient (D) 0.011–0.017 cm2/h and dispersivity (D/v) was 0.072–0.121. Our results showed that the drug remained in the top layers of the columns, after applying an extreme irrigation scenario. The retardation factor for EPM was 43.4–54.5 while for chloride was 0.99–1. EPM fraction (% of applied mass) in 0–1 cm was 13.8–18.0% and in 1–5 cm was 53.3–73.0%. An amount 13–29% was irreversibly bound or degraded during this experiment. From a soil management perspective, the continuous application of EPM contaminated manure, could result in high concentrations in the top 10 cm of the soil profile. Soil column experiments, where hydrodynamic conditions are well defined, are useful for the environmental impact assessment of veterinary pharmaceuticals.