Existence of Antibiotics in Wastewater as a Pollution Indicator

Abstract

Pharmaceutical compounds are chemicals that are used effectively for wide-spectrum purposes in human disease treatments and veterinary medicines, detected in water bodies, agricultural products, soil, and livestock. Several studies have been conducted to study the occurrence, distribution, and existence of antibiotics in the surface water, drinking water, aquifers, and in the effluent of wastewater treatment plants and sludge. In this chapter, the distribution of antibiotics in all environmental compartments, their sources and fate have been reviewed to trace their transformation products, and their persistence. To overcome the related problem, removal processes in wastewater treatment plants were also discussed. The sequence of their entrance to aquifers was also detailed. The impact of micropollutants and the emergence of antibiotic resistance genes were also illustrated in this chapter with possible scope for future researches.