Veterinary Medicines and the Environment
Alistair B.A. Boxall
Contents
1 Introduction ............................................................................... 292
2 Routes of Input to the Environment ...................................................... 292
2.1 Manufacturing ...................................................................... 293
2.2 Livestock Treatment ................................................................ 293
2.3 Aquaculture ......................................................................... 294
3 Fate and Behaviour ....................................................................... 295
3.1 Sorption in Soil ..................................................................... 295
3.2 Persistence in Soil .................................................................. 297
3.3 Transport in Soil Systems ........................................................... 297
3.4 Surface Waters ...................................................................... 299
3.5 Uptake Into Biota ................................................................... 299
4 Occurrence ................................................................................ 300
4.1 Aquaculture ......................................................................... 300
4.2 Livestock Treatments ............................................................... 300
5 Impacts of Veterinary Drugs in the Environment ......................................... 302
5.1 Effects in Regulatory Studies ....................................................... 302
5.2 Chronic and Subtle Effects ......................................................... 304
5.3 Human Health Risks ................................................................ 307
6 Recommendations for Future Research ................................................... 308
References .................................................................................... 309
AbstractVeterinary medicines may be emitted either directly or indirectly into the
environment, following its use. As veterinary medicines are biologically active
compounds, there is a concern that their occurrence in the environment may have an
adverse impact on aquatic and terrestrial organisms. This chapter reviews the major
sources by which veterinary medicines enter the environment, the fate, behaviour
and occurrence of veterinary medicines in the environment and the potential effects
on environmental and human health. Finally, gaps in the current knowledge are
identified and recommendations provided on priorities for future research.
A.B.A. Boxall
Environment Department, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK
e-mail: [email protected]
F. Cunningham et al. (eds.),Comparative and Veterinary Pharmacology,
Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology 199,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-10324-7_12,#Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010
291