What do The Thames, Danube and Mekong rivers have in common? They were all part of a research on antibiotics pollution of river water. All over the world, rivers are polluted with antibiotics that exceed the environmental safety thresholds by up to 300 times; as explained in the article, “World’s rivers loaded with antibiotics waste” published in “The Hindu”, May28,2019. 711 samples from rivers in 72 countries revealed the presence of common antibiotics in two thirds of the samples.
“Ciprofloxacin, a frontline treatment for intestinal and urinary tract infections, surpassed the industry threshold at 51 of the sites tested.”…
“At one location in Bangladesh, concentrations of another widely used antibiotic, metronidazole, were 300 times above the limit, the researchers said.”
Antibiotics have saved millions of lives, but its effectiveness is on the decline due to the development of antimicrobial resistance. The main cause behind this is thought to be the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. However, researchers suggest that, another key contributing factor might be the growing presence of antibiotics in the environment.
To read the full report click here: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/worlds-rivers-loaded-with-antibiotics-waste/article27266146.ece