Researchers have found 159 types of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in China's water, 68 of which are antibiotics, China Daily reports.
The concentration and detection of antibiotics far exceeds those in Western countries, according to the review, which was conducted by six researchers from East China University of Science and Technology, Tongji University and Tsinghua University and published on the latest version of the Chinese Science Bulletin.
It said the detection frequency of some antibiotics even reached 100 percent in several main rivers, such as the Pearl River in southern China and the Huangpu River in eastern China.
Concentrations sometimes hit hundreds of nanograms per liter, while figures in developed countries are below 20 nanograms per liter.
"Antibiotics bear an ecological risk to aquatic organisms, but they do not harm humans directly," said Zhao Jindong, head of the hydrobiology institute at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "But since they are used to kill bacteria, if they exist in the environment in a large amount, microorganisms will become resistant to the antibiotics, and when we need them to kill bacteria, they may no longer work."
China is one of the worst countries in the world for antibiotics abuse. Antibiotics contribute to 70 percent of the country's drug production, compared to 30 percent in Western countries.
"Antibiotics in water can only be removed by deep processing, which requires the use of ozone and bio-membranes, but most waterworks in China are not equipped with such facilities, not to mention the sewage works," said Fu Tao, director of Tsinghua University's Environmental Protection Industry Research Center.
The World Health Organization recently warned that antibiotic abuse may mean "many common infections will no longer have a cure and, once again, could kill unabated".
[Image via Flickr]
0 User Comments