Environmental risk generated by the use of antibiotics in hospital pediatric wards

ABSTRACT Hospital effluents have always been a source of concern for microbiological pollution, but only with the increase in the detection of antibiotics in river waters has there been a need to evaluate the environmental risk generated by hospital effluents. In this context, an environmental risk assessment (ERA) was carried out for 19 antibiotics used in a pediatric inpatient hospital ward for a period of 36 months (June 2013 to May 2016). The main objective of this study was to estimate the environmental risk associated with the use of the selected antibiotics released into the sewage system. The tool used for risk assessment was the Predicted Environmental Concentration (PEC) Phase I and Phase II (EMeA, 2006). Data on population, dispensation, and administration of antibiotics were collected for the calculation of the PEC, reference values of the Predicted no Effect Concentration (PNEC), were obtained from sources in the literature. The Risk Characterization Ratio (RCR), used to characterize the risk, was obtained through the PEC/PNEC ratio. Only four antibiotics presented values below the high-level threshold (RCR < 1), the other fifteen antibiotics presented RCR values corresponding to a high potential for environmental damage, with the highest values being observed for ceftriaxone, piperacycline, tazobactam, ciprofloxacin, vancomycin, and oxacillin. The results showed that there is substantial risk of environmental damage associated with the discharge of these substances into the effluent, representing a significant environmental concern regarding the pattern of antibiotic consumption in hospital pediatric wards.