水体重金属污染治理技术研究进展

随着工业的发展和人口的不断增加,重金属废水排放量增加。有毒重金属对环境的严重威胁正逐渐成为全球性问题,不仅对环境造成危害,还威胁着人类的健康。介绍了水体重金属污染现状及危害,综述了目前国内外治理水体重金属污染主要技术的研究进展,指出了微生物治理重金属污染水体的良好应用前景。     

张家口市水体污染现状分析及控制对策

针对张家口市目前水体的污染治理情况,分析了水体中污染物质的主要成分,并从工业、生活和农业三方面分析水体的污染情况,认为生活源污染是水体污染的主要原因。通过调整产业结构和布局、加强污水处理厂及城市管网建设、生态减污等措施防止水体污染,实现保护水资源的目的。     

石油污染土壤生物修复技术的研究进展

目前对石油污染环境的治理方法有物理法、化学法和生物修复三种类型。文章综合论述了国内外对石油污染土壤的几种微生物修复方法,分别介绍了利用植物、动物及微生物进行治理的修复技术。在我国,对于石油污染的治理应更多地采用低成本、无污染、高效率的生物治理技术。     

兽药抗生素潜在生态效应及其环境行为

在集约化畜禽养殖过程中,兽药抗生素被广泛地作为饲料添加剂,用于预防和治疗动物疾病以及促进动物生长。本文介绍了兽药抗生素在国内外的发展形势及其随着畜禽粪便排出体外的抗生素在环境中的残留和生态效应。最后,论述了兽药抗生素在环境中的行为特征,并重点介绍了在土壤中的降解行为和吸附解吸特征。     

我国天然水体中环境雌激素的污染现状及其生态效应研究进展

作为一种新兴的环境污染物,环境中的雌激素存在于各种介质中,并且已经被证实对生物存在危害。结合国内外的研究成果,综述了不同种类的环境雌激素在我国天然水体中污染现状以及环境雌激素对人类、水生生物和微生物的生态效应。在此基础上,对我国未来开展环境雌激素相关研究和如何应对环境雌激素污染问题进行了展望。     

典型广谱抗生素的污染现状和处理技术研究进展

典型广谱抗生素是一类对生态环境和人类健康具有潜在威胁的新型污染物,其污染现状及相关处理技术受到国内外越来越多的关注。本文概述了典型广谱抗生素在环境中的污染现状,并介绍了几种针对低浓度抗生素污染原水的处理技术,包括离子交换、吸附法、膜滤法及化学氧化法等,为微污染水源中抗生素的处理提出进一步可能的研究方向。     

高级氧化技术降解水体中抗生素的研究进展

抗生素是一类用于阻止和治疗微生物传染性疾病的人用和兽用药物,在人类和动物疾病治疗领域以及水产养殖业有着广泛的用途。近年来,抗生素作为一种新型污染物不断排入水体并且在水体中持续存在,对水生态环境以及人类健康造成了威胁。化学和生物等降解技术引起广泛关注,其中高级氧化技术(AOPs)由于其具有适用范围广、反应速率快、氧化能力强等特点,被成功应用到自然水体和污水中抗生素等多种有机污染物的降解。基于近年来的研究成果,综述了几种常见AOPs对抗生素的降解过程和机理,对比分析了对抗生素的降解效果,最后展望了AOPs应用于抗生素降解的研究方向和挑战。     

重金属对金沙江的水体污染

对于金沙江的水质情况,我们进行了较为全面的分析,并着重进行了金属的测定。随着攀枝花钢铁联合企业的不断发展,人们生产与生活活动所造成的重金属污染环境,威胁着人们的生存与健康,特别是对水体,危害更大,在工业发达的渡口,重金属的废弃物、丢弃和散逸到水体,造成了水体的污染。金,少江在我市境内全长130.5公里,     

抗生素在环境中的迁移转化及生物效应研究进展

抗生素被长期大量地使用于人和动物的疾病治疗,同时作为饲料添加剂长期使用于畜牧业及水产养殖业。然而,大部分抗生素不能完全被机体吸收,大量的抗生素以原形或代谢物形式经由病人和禽畜粪尿排入环境,经不同途径进入土壤和水体,从而造成环境污染。多项研究显示在城镇废水和地表水中检测到了抗生素的存在,但关于抗生素在环境中的迁移转化及生物效应等研究资料很少。环境中的抗生素会对微生物、水生生物、土壤生物和植物等产生危害,并产生大量耐药菌,影响禽畜等的正常生长,进而对人类健康及整个生态系统构成威胁。为评估抗生素在环境中潜在的危害,本文就抗生素在环境中的迁移转化以及生物效应等多方面进行综述,并提出了今后研究的方向。     

沱江的水生昆虫与水质污染

一、前言水生昆虫是各类淡水水体中底栖大型无脊椎动物(简称底栖动物)的主要组成部分,一般情况下,水生昆虫无论在种类或数量方面均在各类底栖动物中居首位。水生昆虫不仅是多种经济鱼类特别是底层鱼类如鲤、鲫、青鱼等的天然优良饵料,而且在水体环境保护方面也起着重要的作用。部分水生昆虫能摄食水体底部沉积的有机物质,在加速水体内的物质循环、促进水体的自净方面起着积极的作用;在环境水质系统监测及评价中,还可根据水生昆虫的种群结构、数量分布及其变动情况等资料来确定水质污染状况。     

Taxing Meat: Taking Responsibility for One’s Contribution to Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic use in animal farming is one of the main drivers of antibiotic resistance both in animals and in humans. In this paper we propose that one feasible and fair way to address this problem is to tax animal products obtained with the use of antibiotics. We argue that such tax is supported both by (a) deontological arguments, which are based on the duty individuals have to compensate society for the antibiotic resistance to which they are contributing through consumption of animal products obtained with the use of antibiotics; and (b) a cost-benefit analysis of taxing such animal products and of using revenue from the tax to fund alternatives to use of antibiotics in animal farming. Finally, we argue that such a tax would be fair because individuals who consume animal products obtained with the use of antibiotics can be held morally responsible, i.e. blameworthy, for their contribution to antibiotic resistance, in spite of the fact that each individual contribution is imperceptible.     

Antibiotic uptake by plants from soil fertilized with animal manure

Antibiotics are commonly added to animal feed as supplements to promote growth of food animals. However, absorption of antibiotics in the animal gut is not complete and as a result substantial amounts of antibiotics are excreted in urine and feces that end up in manure. Manure is used worldwide not only as a source of plant nutrients but also as a source of organic matter to improve soil quality especially in organic and sustainable agriculture. Greenhouse studies were conducted to determine whether or not plants grown in manure-applied soil absorb antibiotics present in manure. The test crops were corn (Zea mays L.), green onion (Allium cepa L.), and cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. Capitata group). All three crops absorbed chlortetracycline but not tylosin. The concentrations of chlortetracycline in plant tissues were small (2-17 ng g(-1) fresh weight), but these concentrations increased with increasing amount of antibiotics present in the manure. This study points out the potential human health risks associated with consumption of fresh vegetables grown in soil amended with antibiotic laden manures. The risks may be higher for people who are allergic to antibiotics and there is also the possibility of enhanced antimicrobial resistance as a result of human consumption of these vegetables.     

Harm to Others: The Social Cost of Antibiotics in Agriculture

It has become increasingly clear that the use of antibiotics in conventionally raised livestock contributes to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In this paper, I argue that the harm principle of classical liberalism should guide agricultural policy in general, and the regulation of antibiotics in livestock in particular. After developing an interpretation of the harm principle, and framing the choice to produce and consume animals treated with antibiotics as a classic prisoner’s dilemma, I consider some policy responses to the problem, including a ban on the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics.     

Veterinary drugs in groundwater in a dairy region of central Argentina and risk assessment for human health

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.     

Antibiotic losses from unprotected manure stockpiles

Manure management is a major concern in livestock production systems. Although historically the primary concerns have been nutrients and pathogens, manure is also a source of emerging contaminants, such as antibiotics, to the environment. There is a growing concern that antibiotics in manure are reaching surface and ground waters and contributing to the development and spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment. One such pathway is through leaching and runoff from manure stockpiles. In this study, we quantified chlortetracycline, monensin, and tylosin losses in runoff from beef manure stockpiles during two separate but consecutive experiments representing different weather conditions (i.e., temperature and precipitation amount and form). Concentrations of chlortetracycline, monensin, and tylosin in runoff were positively correlated with initial concentrations of antibiotics in manure. The highest concentrations of chlortetracycline, monensin, and tylosin in runoff were 210, 3175, and 2544 microg L(-1), respectively. Relative antibiotic losses were primarily a function of water losses. In the experiment that had higher runoff water losses, antibiotic losses ranged from 1.2 to 1.8% of total extractable antibiotics in manure. In the experiment with lower runoff water losses, antibiotic losses varied from 0.2 to 0.6% of the total extractable antibiotics in manure. Manure analysis over time suggests that in situ degradation is an important mechanism for antibiotic losses. Degradation losses during manure stockpiling may exceed cumulative losses from runoff events. Storing manure in protected (i.e., covered) facilities could reduce the risk of aquatic contamination associated with manure stockpiling and other outdoor manure management practices.     

Ethics, Science, and Antimicrobial Resistance

The issue of regularly feeding low levels of antibiotics to farm animals in order to increase productivity is often portrayed as a dilemma. On the one hand, such antibiotic use is depicted as a necessary condition for producing cheap and plentiful food, such that were such use to stop, food prices would rise significantly and our ability to feed people in developing nations would decrease. On the other hand, such antibiotic use seems to breed antibiotic resistance into pathogens affecting human health. Resolving this dilemma, it is alleged, will require great amounts of research into risk/benefit assessment. Contrary to this claim, we will argue that society has all the data it needs to make a reasonable ethical decision, which would be curtailing such use. Such curtailment will not harm consumers significantly, will not harm developing nations' evolving agriculture, and could produce hitherto unnoticed benefits, namely restoring the possibility of a more husbandry-based, sustainable agriculture to replace the high-tech agriculture that has hurt animals, the environment, small farms, and sustainability.     

Response of antibiotics and resistance genes to high-intensity and low-intensity manure management

The purpose of this study was to determine the response of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) to manure management. A pilot field study was conducted using horse manure containing no antibiotics, into which chlortetracycline (CTC), tylosin (TYL), and monensin (MON) were spiked and compared to unspiked controls. Subsequently, a large-scale field study was conducted comparing manure from a dairy with minimal use of antibiotics and a feedlot with regular subtherapeutic use of antibiotics. The manures were subjected to high-intensity management (HIM) (amending, watering, and turning) and low-intensity management (LIM) (no amending, watering, or turning) and were monitored for antibiotic concentrations and levels of tetracycline ARG [tet(W) and tet(O)] using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. All three antibiotics in the pilot study dissipated more rapidly in HIM manure, with half-lives ranging from 4 to 15 d, compared to LIM manure, with half-lives ranging from 8 to 30 d. Levels of tet(W) were significantly higher after 141 d of treatment, but levels of tet(O) were significantly lower in all treatments. In the large-scale study, the feedlot manure had higher initial concentrations than the dairy manure of tetracycline (TC), oxytetracycline (OTC), and CTC as well as tet(W) and tet(O). Tetracycline and OTC dissipated more rapidly in HIM manure, with half-lives ranging from 6 to 15 d, compared to LIM manure, with half-lives ranging from 7 to 31 d. After 6 mo of treatment, tet(W) and tet(O) decreased significantly in feedlot manure, whereas dairy manure required only 4 mo of treatment for similar results.     

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for ultratrace determination of antibiotics in aqueous samples

Two commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits that are commonly used for tylosin or tetracycline residues in meat and milk were adapted for ultratrace analysis of these antibiotics in surface and ground waters. These two antibiotics are commonly fed to swine, turkeys, and cattle at subtherapeutic doses for growth promotion purposes. Both ELISA techniques were found to be highly sensitive and selective for the respective antibiotics with detection limits of 0.10 and 0.05 microg L(-1) for tylosin and tetracycline, respectively. The recovery of both tylosin and tetracycline from spiked samples of lake waters, runoff samples, soil saturation extracts, and nanopure water was close to 100%. Tetracycline ELISA was highly specific for tetracycline and chlortetracycline but not for other forms of tetracycline (oxytetracycline, demeclocycline, and doxycycline). Analysis of a few liquid swine manure samples by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) showed lower concentrations for chlortetracycline as compared with concentrations obtained using ELISA. However, the concentrations of tylosin from ELISA were comparable with that of LC-MS. The lower concentrations of chlortetracycline obtained by LC-MS in manure samples indicate the presence of other similar or transformed compounds that were detected by ELISA but not determined by LC-MS. These results indicate that both ELISA kits can be useful tools for low-cost screening of tylosin, tetracycline, and chlortetracycline in environmental waters. Furthermore, both ELISA procedures are rapid, portable, and easily adaptable for testing of multiple samples simultaneously.     

Antibiotic losses in leaching and surface runoff from manure-amended agricultural land

A 3-yr field study quantified leaching and runoff losses of antibiotics from land application of liquid hog (chlortetracycline and tylosin) and solid beef (chlortetracycline, monensin, and tylosin) manures under chisel plowing and no-tillage systems. The study was conducted in southwestern Wisconsin, a karst area with steep, shallow, macroporous soils. Relative mass losses of chlortetracycline, monensin, and tylosin were <5% of the total amount applied with manure. Chlortetracycline was only detected in runoff, whereas monensin and tylosin were detected in leachate and runoff. Highest concentrations of monensin and tylosin in the leachate were 40.9 and 1.2 microg L(-1), respectively. Highest chlortetracycline, monensin, and tylosin concentrations in runoff were 0.5, 57.5, and 6.0 microg L(-1), respectively. For all three antibiotics, >90% of detections and 99% of losses occurred during the non-growing season due to fall manure application and slow degradation of antibiotics at cold temperatures. During years of high snowmelt, runoff accounted for nearly 100% of antibiotic losses, whereas during years of minimal snowmelt, runoff accounted for approximately 40% of antibiotic losses. Antibiotic losses were generally higher from the no-tillage compared with chisel plow treatment due to greater water percolation as a result of macroporosity and greater runoff due to lack of surface roughness in the no-tillage plots during the non-growing season. The results from this study suggest that small quantities of dissolved antibiotics could potentially reach surface and ground waters in the Upper Midwestern USA from manure-amended shallow macroporous soils underlain with fractured bedrock.