Occurrence profiling, risk assessment, and correlations of antimicrobials in surface water and groundwater systems in Southwest Nigeria
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Date
2024
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Royal Society of Chemistry
Abstract
The presence of antimicrobials in water has grown into a major global health concern. This study thus
focused on the presence, ecological implications, and potential health risks associated with nine
antimicrobials: five antibiotics (ampicillin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, metronidazole, and
tetracycline) and four parabens (methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben) in
surface water and groundwater samples collected from three Southwestern States in Nigeria (Osun, Oyo,
and Lagos States). These antimicrobials were widely detected across the three States with ciprofloxacin
being the most dominant having maximum average concentrations of 189 mg L−1 and 319 mg L−1 in
surface water and groundwater respectively. The range of average concentrations of antibiotics in
surface water are 47.3–235 mg L−1 (Osun), 27.9–166 mg L−1 (Oyo) and 52.1–159 mg L−1 (Lagos). For
groundwater, it is 35.3–180 mg L−1 (Osun), 26.5–181 mg L−1 (Oyo) and 32.3–319 mg L−1 (Lagos). The
average concentrations of all parabens were 32.4–153 mg L−1, 53.4–80.1 mg L−1, and 83.2–132 mg L−1 for
surface water and 46.7–55.7 mg L−1, 53–117 mg L−1, and 62.4–118 mg L−1 for groundwater in Osun, Oyo,
and Lagos States respectively. Methylparaben was most frequently detected paraben with average
concentrations of 153 mg L−1 and 117 mg L−1 in surface water and groundwater respectively. The
measured environmental concentrations of these antimicrobials pose a significant ecological risk while
those of ciprofloxacin and ampicillin pose a high health risk to all population groups studied. The
average concentrations of antibiotics investigated in this study exceeded their threshold values for
Predicted No-Effect Concentrations (PNEC) associated with resistance selection, except for tetracycline.
Description
Environmental significance
Antimicrobials in the environment are increasingly becoming a serious health threat. To handle them we need to evaluate their quantity and distribution in the
environment as well as the ecological and health risks they pose. We show, through the assessment of ve antibiotics and four parabens in surface and
groundwater systems in sites studied, that ciprooxacin and ampicillin pose a high health risk to all population groups. Concentrations of all four parabens and
tetracycline in water show no health risk. However, the average concentrations of antibiotics investigated exceeded their Predicted No-Effect Concentrations
(PNEC) thresholds associated with resistance selection, except tetracycline.