Rivers in Bangladesh contain antibiotics up to 300 times higher than ‘safe’ levels, said a new global study.
Sites studied in the research where antibiotics exceeded ‘safe’ levels by the greatest degree were in five countries, including Bangladesh.
The others are Kenya, Ghana, Pakistan and Nigeria, according to the study by York Environmental Sustainability Institute at the University of York, England.
Metronidazole, which is used to treat bacterial infections including skin and mouth infections, exceeded safe levels by the biggest margin, with concentrations at one site in Bangladesh 300 times greater than the ‘safe’ level, the report, published on the institute’s website on May 27, said.
The researchers detected a maximum total antibiotic concentration of 233 nanograms per litre (ng/l) in the River Thames and one of its tributaries in London.
In Bangladesh, the concentration was 170 times higher, according to the research.
Led by YESI's Professor Alistair Boxall, the study is first of its kind in global level, according to the report.
Researchers looked for 14 commonly used antibiotics in rivers in 72 countries across six continents and found antibiotics at 65 percent of the sites monitored.
The most prevalent antibiotic was trimethoprim, which was detected at 307 of the 711 sites tested and is primarily used to treat urinary tract infections.
The team said that the ‘safe’ limits were most frequently exceeded in Asia and Africa, but sites in Europe, North America and South America also had levels of concern showing that antibiotic contamination was a “global problem”.
“The results are quite eye opening and worrying, demonstrating the widespread contamination of river systems around the world with antibiotic compounds,” the report quoted Professor Boxall, Theme Leader of the York Environmental Sustainability Institute, as saying.
“Solving the problem is going to be a mammoth challenge and will need investment in infrastructure for waste and wastewater treatment, tighter regulation and the cleaning up of already contaminated sites,” he added.