Soil Antibiotic Pollution and Ecological Risk Assessment in the Pearl River Delta Region, China

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Soil Science
• Ecotoxicology

Background:

• Excessive antibiotic use contaminates soils, disrupting ecological processes and threatening crop productivity.
• Antibiotic residues in agricultural soils pose a significant environmental and health concern.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the spatial patterns and prevalence of 22 antibiotics in agricultural soils of the Pearl River Delta.
• To evaluate contamination characteristics and associated ecological health risks.

Main Methods:

• Spatial analysis using ArcGIS 10.7.
• Spearman correlation analysis.
• Risk Quotient (RQ) modeling to assess ecological risks.

Main Results:

• Antibiotics were detected in all 240 soil samples, with total concentrations up to 897 μg·kg⁻¹.
• Quinolones, β-lactams, and tetracyclines were the most prevalent antibiotic classes and dominant ecological risk drivers.
• 82.5% of sites showed medium-high ecological risk, correlated with livestock, poultry, and aquaculture activities.

Conclusions:

• Antibiotic pollution in the Pearl River Delta is substantial, with significant ecological risks.
• Mitigation strategies should focus on regulating veterinary drug use, improving manure management, and implementing pollution remediation.
• Findings support enhanced supervision of agricultural soil pollution for improved sustainability.