Ecotoxicity and Risk Assessment Characterization of Veterinary Pharmaceuticals on Anuran Amphibian Larvae

PAOLA PELTZER; CUZZIOL BOCCIONI,ANA PAULA; MARTINUZZI CANDELA; BASSÓ AGUSTIN ; ATTADEMO MAXIMILIANO; MARÍA CULZONI; LESLY PARADINA-FERNÁNDEZ; LAJMANOVICH, RAFAEL C.

Amphibian Species in Environmental Risk Assessment Strategies

Royal Society of Chemistry

Año: 2023; p. 81 - 101

Aquatic ecosystems are prone to contamination due to the synergiesamong high nutrients, pesticides, microplastics (MPs) and pharmaceuticalcompounds that, together or in isolated fashion, threaten their quality andbiodiversity worldwide. The widespread use of veterinary pharmaceuticals and their releaseinto different environments, such as freshwater bodies and groundwatersystems, has increased in the last two decades. The occurrence of thesecompounds in aquatic systems has become a serious health and environmentalconcern and has been the subject of recent debate in scientificliterature. Due to their massive environmental release, these contaminantsof emerging concern (CECs) have been detected at ng L–1 to μg L–1 levelsin several environmental sources, including surface water, groundwater,wastewater, and even drinking water. Veterinary pharmaceuticals aregenerally used in livestock production for disease prevention and growthpromotion. Significant quantities of antibiotics used as a feed supplementfor growth enhancement of food animals have been found in animal wastemanure (e.g., poultry litter without any treatment) used as organic fertlizers.The presence of these contaminants in aquatic environments poses anenvironmental risk for both human health and aquatic ecosystems.In most cases, the high risk of CECs is related to the potential bioaccumulationand ecotoxicological effects that could be triggered in aquaticorganisms both after short- and long-term exposure. Likewise, since oneof the major problems with the abovementioned contaminants is relatedto the lack of regulatory criteria and routine monitoring programs, datafrom screening in aquatic ecosystems and their effects at different hierarchicallevels on wild fauna establish a powerful tool for future regulationsand/or monitoring programs. Hence, controlling and/or monitoringthese contaminants is essential for environmental sustainability, mainly ifwe consider that these contaminants may have synergistic, antagonistic,additive, or potentiation effects on aquatic ecosystems, wild fauna, andhumans. In Argentina, the risk of the presence of CECs has increased inthe last decades, mainly related to meat-producing agro-industries thathave no treatment of their residues (e.g., poultry litter and manure) andother anthropic activities, such as agrochemical application near aquaticsystems, industrial effluent, wastewater, canalization or drought of riversand/or tributaries, intentional fires, and urbanization in wetlands, whichsynergistically increase the extinction of amphibians and the well health ofaquatic ecosystems.