Environmental Fate and Effects of Antibacterial Agents
in WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS
10/14/2007
The Greater Chicago Water Reclamation (sewage) District's letter to EPA shows concern about personal care
antibacterial agents entering the wastewater treatment plants. EPA is not concerned and may provide updated data
in the future, EPA failed to note in it's reply that it had documented pathogenic antibiotic resistant coliform bacteria
leaving the treatment plants in sludge since 1982. The real point, which neither agency mentioned in the letters,
was the effect antibacterial agents have on the bacteria used to treat sewage. When the bacteria used to treat
sludge are inactivated or killed by antibacterial agents, the treatment plant gets gastroenteritis and releases more
deadly pathogens into the environment.
GENETIC TRANSFER ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT
In 1982 EPA reported that: "Total coliforms and total coliforms resistant to streptomycin, tetracycline, or
chloramphenicol were isolated from filtered activated sludge effluents before and after UV light irradiation. Although
the UV irradiation effectively disinfected the wastewater effluent, the percentage of the total surviving coliform
population resistant to tetracycline or chloramphenicol was significantly higher than the percentage of the total
coliform population resistant to those antibiotics before UV irradiation. This finding was attributed to the mechanism
of R-factor-mediated resistance to tetracycline. No significant difference was noted for the percentage of the
surviving total coliform population resistant to streptomycin before or after UV irradiation. Multiple drug resistance
patterns of 300 total coliform isolates revealed that 82% were resistant to two or more antibiotics. Furthermore, 46%
of these isolates were capable of transferring antibiotic resistance to a sensitive strain of Escherichia coli."
in WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS
10/14/2007
The Greater Chicago Water Reclamation (sewage) District's letter to EPA shows concern about personal care
antibacterial agents entering the wastewater treatment plants. EPA is not concerned and may provide updated data
in the future, EPA failed to note in it's reply that it had documented pathogenic antibiotic resistant coliform bacteria
leaving the treatment plants in sludge since 1982. The real point, which neither agency mentioned in the letters,
was the effect antibacterial agents have on the bacteria used to treat sewage. When the bacteria used to treat
sludge are inactivated or killed by antibacterial agents, the treatment plant gets gastroenteritis and releases more
deadly pathogens into the environment.
GENETIC TRANSFER ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT
In 1982 EPA reported that: "Total coliforms and total coliforms resistant to streptomycin, tetracycline, or
chloramphenicol were isolated from filtered activated sludge effluents before and after UV light irradiation. Although
the UV irradiation effectively disinfected the wastewater effluent, the percentage of the total surviving coliform
population resistant to tetracycline or chloramphenicol was significantly higher than the percentage of the total
coliform population resistant to those antibiotics before UV irradiation. This finding was attributed to the mechanism
of R-factor-mediated resistance to tetracycline. No significant difference was noted for the percentage of the
surviving total coliform population resistant to streptomycin before or after UV irradiation. Multiple drug resistance
patterns of 300 total coliform isolates revealed that 82% were resistant to two or more antibiotics. Furthermore, 46%
of these isolates were capable of transferring antibiotic resistance to a sensitive strain of Escherichia coli."
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See Greater Chicago Reclamation District's letter below
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