Long-term monitoring of sulfonamides and tetracyclines in manure amended soils and leachate samples - A follow-up study

Abstract

Antibiotics can be detected in manure and digestate samples worldwide. As manure is a frequently used fertilizer, antibiotics are found in soil and leachate samples. Only little is known about the long-term fate of antibiotics in the soil environment. One shortcut is the lack of appropriate monitoring studies. Here we present the results of an unequalled soil monitoring study over 18 years from an agricultural field site in Lower Saxony (Germany). Sulfonamides and tetracycline are mainly fixed in the upper soil layer. Contents showed a sharp decrease below sampling depth of 30 cm (plough depth). Sulfaguanidine and sulfamethazine (SMZ) were detected down to 90 cm. Water samples taken below the field site revealed the transfer of sulfonamides into leachate. High variances were observed between sampling points emphasizing the need for sampling strategies for environmental studies. In addition, field lysimeters with defined input of sulfonamides enabled a long-term monitoring and mass balance of antibiotic transfer into leachate over 10 years. SMZ showed the highest mobility with concentrations up to 65 ng L −1 . Less than 0.5% of the applied SMZ was transferred into the leachate. Data of lysimeter and field water samples support the theory of a steady state process with a continuous input of sulfonamides such as SMZ into leachate. Soils contaminated with antibiotics can be a long-term source for the input of antibiotic active compounds into deeper soil layers and groundwater.

Pharmaceutical Antibiotics at a Significant Level in Nature: From Hospitals, Livestock, and Plants to Soil, Water, and Sea

“…This work elaborated during three years shows that the accumulation of DCF, SMX, and TMP in the soil detected by MeOH-NaOH solution and Chromatography MS/MS, The results show an imminent physical translocation as we shown in Figure 1, and show great variability in the accumulation of the three antibiotics during those 3 years, with increases or decreases depending on the irrigation using wastewater and depending on the duration of irrigation and the origin of the wastewater applied. Other authors monitoring sulfonamides and tetracyclines over 18 years from an agricultural field site in Lower Saxony, Germany [75]. SAs and TCs are largely fixed in the upper soil layer.…”

Antibiotics in the environment: status and problems

“…Более того, остатки антибиотиков могут абсорбироваться растениями, вмешиваться в физиологические процессы и вызывать потенциальные экотоксикологические эффекты. Накопление антибиотиков в сельскохозяйственных почвах приводит к замедлению прорастания семян и снижению биомассы и урожайности сельскохозяйственных растений [9,10].…”

“…Заметным источником поступления антибиотиков в окружающую среду являются сточные воды, поступающие в водоприемники после прохождения циклов очистки на очистных сооружениях, поскольку антибиотики не подвергаются метаболическим превращениям и транзитом проходят через сооружения [10].…”

Long‐term sulfamethazine leaching simulation in two different soils using the MACRO model

“…This can be attributed to biodegradation (Accinelli et al., 2007; Fan et al., 2011) or abiotic processes, such as hydrolysis or photolysis (Białk‐Bielińska et al., 2012; Biošić et al., 2017), but also to the analytical methods, which might not be harsh enough to extract the adsorbed SMZ from the soil matrix (Bailey et al., 2016; Kreuzig & Höltge, 2005; Nurk et al., 2019; Rosendahl et al., 2011). Existing long‐term experiments under field conditions, however, showed evidence for an accumulation in soils and a later leaching (Aust et al., 2008; Hamscher et al., 2005; Spielmeyer et al., 2017, 2020; Stoob et al., 2007). This supports the assumption that both reversible sorption and the formation of non‐extractable residues (NERs), rather than mineralization, might be the main contributors to the dissipation of SMZ.…”

“…The use of antibiotics-containing veterinary drugs in intensive livestock and the spreading of manure from such facilities for fertilizing purposes lead to the distribution of pharmacologically active substances within the aquatic environment (Halling-Sørensen et al, 1998;Hamscher & Mohring, 2012;Spielmeyer, 2018). In addition to the transport of dissolved substances via runoff to surface water bodies (Burkhardt et al, 2005;Kay et al, 2005;Knäbel et al, 2016) or via leaching to groundwater (Boxall et al, 2002;Hamscher et al, 2005) being of concern, the accumulation of adsorbed substances on soil particles and a slow leaching over several years are considered highly relevant (Kay et al, 2004;Spielmeyer et al, 2017Spielmeyer et al, , 2020.…”