title: Antibiotic contamination in a typical developing city in south China: occurrence and ecological risks in the Yongjiang River impacted by tributary discharge and anthropogenic activities.
abstract: The occurrence and distribution of ten selected antibiotics from three groups (sulfonamides, macrolides, and trimethoprim) were investigated in the Yongjiang River, which flows through Nanning City, a typical developing city in China. The study also assessed the ecological risks and the potential effects caused by discharge from tributaries and anthropogenic activities. Concentrations of most of the antibiotics were elevated along the section of the river in the urban area, highlighting the significant impact of high population density and human activities on the presence of antibiotics in the environment. The concentrations in the tributaries (ranged from not detected to 1336ngL(-1)) were generally higher than those in the main stream (ranged from not detected to 78.8ngL(-1)), but both areas contained the same predominant antibiotics, revealing the importance of tributary discharge as a source of antibiotic pollution. A risk assessment for the surface water contamination revealed that sulfamethoxazole and erythromycin posed high ecological risks to the most sensitive aquatic organisms (Synechococcus leopoliensis and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, respectively) in the midstream and some tributaries. Most of the selected antibiotics presented high ecological risks (risk quotients up to 95) in the sediments.
authors.affiliation: School of Environment Studies, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.
authors.forename: Baoming
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Ruijie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yinghui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Gan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D059001:Aquatic Organisms; D002681:China; D004463:Ecology; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D018570:Risk Assessment; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical