Occurrence, Distribution and Ecological Risk of Aantibiotics in Surface Water of the Gonghu Bay, Taihu Lake

Abstract

In order to assess the contamination degree and ecological risk of antibiotics in Gonghu Bay, Taihu Lake, the contamination characteristics of four kinds of antibiotics (tetracycline, quinolones, sulfonamides and macrolides) in surface water of the Gonghu Bay were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The results showed that 13 of the 16 target antibiotics were detected in the Gonghu Bay. The mass concentrations of the 13 antibiotics ranged 0.005-4.720 μg·L-1, and OTC was of the highest concentration. The detection level of antibiotics was also different between the northern and the southern parts of Gonghu Bay, and the mass concentration of tetracycline in the northern part was higher than that in the southern part. Moreover, the concentrations of quinolones and sulfonamides in the southern part were larger than those in the northern part. The potential ecological risks of the detected antibiotics were assessed via using the risk quotients (RQs) approach. The preliminary results showed that 5 kinds of antibiotics: OTC, NOR, OFL, CIP and ENR were at high risk, accounting for 38.5% and 4 kinds of antibiotics TC, CTC, ROX and SMX were at medium risk, accounting for 30.8% in the antibiotics detected in Gonghu Bay, while the others (SMR, SMP, SQX, TMP) were at low risk. Ecological risk assessment revealed that some risks were present in antibiotics in the Gonghu Bay. The tetracyclines and quinolones were particularly prominent, which should be drawn enough attention, and corresponding preventive measures should be taken as well.