Investigating the occurrence and fate of human and veterinary antibiotics in environmental water systems
Batt, Angela L
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The occurrence of antibiotics in surface water, groundwater, and wastewater was investigated using solid phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography with ion-trap mass spectrometry (IT-LC/MS/MS) method developed for the detection of trace levels of antibiotics in the environment. First, conditions were optimized for the simultaneous analysis of thirteen antibiotics belonging to multiple classes in three different water matrices. Second, surface water samples were collected and analyzed for the antibiotics. Several antibiotics and caffeine have been detected in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents and surface water samples surrounding two WWTPs located in East Aurora and Holland, New York, and quantifiable concentrations of three antibiotics could be found in water as far as 100 m from the WWTP discharge point. These findings indicate that current waste water management practices are not effective in the removal of pharmaceuticals, therefore, the occurrence of antibiotics in five different types of full-scale WWTPs was also investigated. The WWTPs chosen represent many different combinations of biological and physical/chemical unit processes, including activated sludge, extended aeration, rotating biological contactors, carbon adsorption, and chlorination. The enhanced degradation rate of one antibiotic (trimethoprim) observed in the nitrifying activated sludge of the Amherst WWTP was further investigated using laboratory scale batch reactors. Finally, groundwater samples from six private wells that were formerly used for drinking water by the residents were analyzed to assess the impact of a nearby confined animal feeding operation's (CAFO) waste management practices on the ground water quality. Two sulfonamide antimicrobials were detected at all six sampling locations accompanied by elevated concentrations of nitrate and ammonia.