Abstract
The residual antibiotics in the environment have lately caused widespread concerns. However, little information is available on the antibiotic bioaccumulation and its health risk in drinking water resources of South China. Therefore, the occurrence, distribution, and health risk of four quinolone antibiotics including ofloxacin (OFX), norfloxacin (NOR), ciprofloxacin (CIP), and enrofloxacin (ENR) in the Qingshitan reservoir using high-performance liquid chromatography were investigated. Results revealed that the concentrations in water, sediment, and edible fish ranged from 3.49–660.13 ng/L, 1.03–722.18 μg/kg, and 6.73–968.66 μg/kg, respectively. The ecological risk assessment via the risk quotient (RQ) method showed that the values in sediment were all greater than 1, posing a high risk to the environment. The health risk index of water samples was at the maximum acceptable level, with OFX at the top while the rest were at the medium risk level. The main edible fish kinds of the reservoir had high dietary safety and the highest contaminations were found in carnivorous feeding habits and demersal habitat fishes with OFX as the highest magnitude. Source identification and correlation analysis using SPSS showed significant relationships between NOR with pH and turbidity (in water), as well as total phosphor (TP) and total organic carbon (TOC) in sediment. NOR was the highest in sediment which mostly sourced from livestock wastewater, croplands irrigation drain water, and stormwater. Correlations between CIP and ENR with TP were significant, while OFX was positively associated with total nitrogen (TN) which mainly originated from urban sewage as well as directly dosed drugs in fish farms. In conclusion, our results are of great significance for ensuring the safety of drinking water and aquatic products in this region.
Highlights
Antibiotics, such as chloramphenicol, tetracyclines, sulfonamides, macrolides, quinolones, and beta-lactams are a class of secondary metabolites, produced by microbial organisms or some plants and animals, that have anti-pathogens or other c ompetences[1]
The objectives of this study were: (1) to investigate the concentration and distribution features of four quinolones antibiotics (ofloxacin (OFX), norfloxacin (NOR), ciprofloxacin (CIP), and enrofloxacin (ENR)) in water, sediment and fish from the Qingshitan reservoir; (2) to explore the correlation between the physical and chemical indicators of water, sediment and quinolones antibiotics contamination via correlation analysis; (3) to assess the risk quotients (RQ) for antibiotics in sediment; (4) to evaluate the human health risk of a selected antibiotic in the fish muscle through the average concentration measurement method. It can reveal the pollution status and risk level of antibiotics in water, sediments, and fishes that will provide a scientific basis for antibiotic pollution control
The result showed that total phosphor (TP) ranged from 0.005 to 0.041 mg/L and the maximum was observed at S6
Summary
Antibiotics, such as chloramphenicol, tetracyclines, sulfonamides, macrolides, quinolones, and beta-lactams are a class of secondary metabolites, produced by microbial organisms (including bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes) or some plants and animals, that have anti-pathogens or other c ompetences[1]. The objectives of this study were: (1) to investigate the concentration and distribution features of four quinolones antibiotics (ofloxacin (OFX), norfloxacin (NOR), ciprofloxacin (CIP), and enrofloxacin (ENR)) in water, sediment and fish from the Qingshitan reservoir; (2) to explore the correlation between the physical and chemical indicators of water, sediment and quinolones antibiotics contamination via correlation analysis; (3) to assess the risk quotients (RQ) for antibiotics in sediment; (4) to evaluate the human health risk of a selected antibiotic in the fish muscle through the average concentration measurement method It can reveal the pollution status and risk level of antibiotics in water, sediments, and fishes that will provide a scientific basis for antibiotic pollution control
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