Human daily dietary intakes of antibiotic residues: Dominant sources and health risks

Antibiotic use in crops is an emerging concern, however, human exposure to antibiotics residues through consumption of plant-derived food has generally been neglected. This study is a comprehensive evaluation based on full consideration of exposure sources and analysis for nearly 100 antibiotics. A total of 58 antibiotic compounds were detected in drinking water (n = 66) and 49 in food samples (n = 150) from Shenzhen, China. The probable daily intake from drinking water and food consumption based on the total concentration of all the detected antibiotic compounds was 310, 200, and 130 ng/kg-body weight/day for preschool children, adolescents, and adults, with a maximum of up to 1400, 970 and 530 ng/kg-bw/day, respectively. Consumption of plant-derived food products, rather than animal-derived food, was the main source of the daily intake, and drinking water was a minor source. Risk assessment suggested a potentially unacceptable health risk from daily intake of norfloxacin, lincomycin and ciprofloxacin. Further research is warranted to alleviate food safety concerns related to antibiotic residues in plant-derived and animal-derived food products.