Innocent veterinary antibiotics

2003/07/22 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Albaitaritza
• Ingurumena

The research was attended by scientists from Britain, the Netherlands, Spain and Denmark, who presented the report in June. According to them, the level of antibiotics measured in water and land should be much higher to have some effect on the environment.

Antibiotics are widely used in veterinary medicine. In the European Union more than 3,000 tons are used annually and it is estimated that in the US between 8,500-11,200 tons are used. Some of the antibiotic compounds are metabolized and degraded by the animals themselves, but others are excreted to the environment unchanged or spread as fertilizers in the fields of cultivation. Finally, the remains of antibiotics reach the groundwater.

Believing that these antibiotics could be dangerous, three years ago they founded the ERAVMIS project. The aim of the project was to check how long antibiotics last, where they end and if they harm living things.

Researchers have developed a purine with more frequent antibiotics and spread it on some plots. Subsequently, over time, concentrations in soil, groundwater and groundwater have been measured. They have seen that most antibiotics disappear completely for two weeks and although some remain in the soil for up to eight months, they are in low concentrations and do not pass to groundwater.

On the other hand, researchers have measured the ecotoxicity of antibiotics in plants, crops, animals and microorganisms common in different waters, that is, in what concentration antibiotic damage occurs to these living beings. And they have realized that the concentrations in the environment are quite inferior to those that would be necessary to be harmful. Nor has any damage caused by antibiotics been detected in crops, fish, mosquitoes, etc.

Researchers have been very satisfied with these results, concerned about the appearance of traces of antibiotics in the environment. However, some researchers believe that antibiotics affect soil microorganisms. They seem to suspect that some bacteria have become resistant and now intend to analyze it. In addition, they want to investigate the possible interaction between antibiotics and other chemicals, such as antibiotics and pesticides.