Medical Waste as a Source of Antibiotic Contamination in Wastewater

Abstract

In modern conditions of the coronavirus pandemic, the amount of medical waste is sharply increasing, among which antibiotics that enter the environment from various sources are among the most hazardous from an environmental point of view. The article analyzes the sources of antibiotics coming with hospital wastewater. The majority of medical institutions for the population of our region have no local treatment facilities and antibiotics transit through them. The aim of this paper was to collect and analyze information on medical waste in medical institutions of the Baikal region as a source of antibiotics in water bodies and to assess environmental risks. Based on information on the procurement of antibiotics for medical institutions in the Irkutsk Region, it was established that the sources of pollution of natural waters with antibiotics are wastewater from agricultural enterprises, medical institutions, and home first-aid kits. The total amount of antibiotics circulating in the Irkutsk Region reaches 9.2 tons, the residual concentration of antibiotics in wastewater from various sources ranges from 0.3 to 3.9 mg/L. The hazard quotients for drinking water contaminated with antibiotics are of medium and low categories.