Occurrence, Distribution, and Ecological Risk Assessment of Antibiotics in Aqueous, Sediment, and Solid Waste of a Typical Island Province in China

As one of the most important emerging contaminants, the increasing application and discharge of antibiotics have resulted in widespread public concerns due to their significant threat to various organisms, especially to human health. In this study, we collected the relevant published peer-reviewed articles investigating the occurrence, distribution, and environmental fates of antibiotics in a typical island province in China, followed by a statistical analysis, mainly including the categories and species, the concentration levels, and the ecological risk assessment of different antibiotics in various environmental media. As for the number of types of antibiotics, we found that, in the aqueous environment, there are more types of antibiotics detected in surface water and seawater, and those in the effluent of wastewater were fewer. In addition, antibiotics occurring in surface water sediment and solid waste were also noticed, even though the number of types was relatively lower than that in water matrices. As for the concentration levels, the fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, macrolides, and tetracyclines were usually those with higher average concentrations and wider concentration ranges than the other classes, regardless of whether they were in aqueous or solid media. The concentrations of antibiotics in effluent and solid waste were significantly higher than those in other cases. Furthermore, the risk quotient method was also performed to assess the ecological risk of different antibiotics, mainly in surface water and seawater, and the similar categories presented significantly different risks in algae, invertebrates, or fish. This study provides a systematic management of antibiotic pollution and raises concern and support for the efficient treatment and disposal of antibiotics in future works and in life.