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Livestock Antibiotics Pose Minimal Environmental Risk
September 13, 2007
Antibiotics used on livestock pose minimal environmental risk in Canada, according to a new University of Guelph study.
Prof. Paul Sibley, Environmental Biology, and Prof. Keith Solomon, Centre for Toxicology, recently completed a six-year study examining the use of pharmaceuticals in the Canadian hog and cattle industry. They found that pharmaceuticals don't pose appreciable risks to soil and water if used as instructed.
Sibley, Solomon and a team of researchers simulated real-life scenarios in the laboratory and field to study the toxicity of pharmaceuticals. They applied pharmaceuticals directly to soil and water to simulate field exposure.
After applying the pharmaceuticals, the researchers tested the soil, soil life, water and aquatic life in the area to measure the level of toxicity. They also measured concentrations of antibiotics at several locations on the Grand River watershed heavily populated with livestock.
In both studies, they found the level of antibiotics detected was significantly lower than the amount required to elicit toxic responses and was therefore likely to pose negligible environmental risk.
