Veterinary drugs in groundwater in a dairy region of central Argentina and risk assessment for human health |
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Authors: | Julieta Soledad Borello Franca Giannini-Kurina Diego Alejandro Grassi Gonzalo Tentor Ana Irene Cañas Mirtha Maria Nassetta Edda Cristina Villaamil Lepori |
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Institution: | 1. Centro de Excelencia en Productos y Procesos Córdoba, Sede Santa María de Punilla, Córdoba, Argentina;2. CONICET, Unidad de Fitopatología y Modelización Agrícola (UFYMA), Córdoba, Argentina
Department of Agroecology - Soil Fertility, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark;3. Analytical Technologies, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina;4. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Departamento de Producción Animal, Córdoba, Argentina;5. Centro de Excelencia en Productos y Procesos Córdoba, Sede Santa María de Punilla, Córdoba, Argentina
Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina;6. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina |
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Abstract: | Veterinary drugs used in dairy production are potential contaminants of surface or groundwater sources, being able to affect human and environmental health. It is known that chronic exposure to antibiotics in low concentrations present in water can generate microbial resistance. This study aimed to evaluate the presence of veterinary drugs in 53 groundwater samples used for animal and human consumption, collected in dairy milking parlors, in an important milk-producing area of central Argentina, and to assess the risk to human health when they are used as drinking water. In 75% of the total samples analyzed, at least one veterinary drug was detected. The most frequently found drugs in water samples were the antibiotics tetracycline in 58.5% and oxytetracycline in 56.6%, and an anti-inflammatory, flunixin in 39.6%. In the water samples, the tetracycline and oxytetracycline concentrations were between 0.1 and 5.3 μg/L and flunixin concentrations were between 0.01 and 2.1 μg/L. The frequency of appearance and the concentration levels of the substances found in the water samples were evaluated according to the productivity, size, and production system (confined or pasture) of the dairy farms. Higher concentrations and proportions of water samples containing antibiotics were observed when the number of animals per dairy farm was >182 and when the productivity was high (>25 liters per animal per day). In the case of flunixin, the percentage of detection was similar in all evaluated categories. The risk assessment for children and adults, considering the intake of drinking water containing residues of these drugs, did not indicate a significant health risk. It would be advisable to evaluate other sources of drinking water, both surface and underground, in other regions of the country, to provide data to assess the impact of these substances and the other contaminants on environmental and human health. |
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Keywords: | dairy farms drinking water health risk assessment HPLC-MS/MS veterinary drugs |
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