Tetracycline is present in the water of southern Saskatchewan’s largest
river.
Brij Verma, a PhD student from Napier University in Scotland, found up
to 60 parts per billion of the antibiotic in eight water samples taken
from the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon.
“That isn’t a lot, but because there is no real research or an
acceptable level established for what is safe or the effect it has on
human health or that of other creatures in the environment, it is
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interesting and needs more study,” said Verma.
Verma’s year-long, doctoral thesis project on water quality is being
supervised at the National Water Research Institute in Saskatoon.
“This antibiotic occurs naturally and is produced by bacteria. But it
is also popularly used in livestock feeds and for treatment of humans
for a variety of infections,” he said.
“We don’t know if it comes from natural source, an agricultural source,
from human waste or just where. That will need some more study.”
Saskatoon water utility officials say the antibiotic likely passes
through the city’s treatment system and is a part of the drinking water
but is nothing to be concerned about.
Verma said control streams or rivers are needed to compare to what he
has found in the South Saskatchewan to know how common the antibiotic
is, in what quantities it exists or where it comes from.
Tetracycline is photosensitive and breaks down when exposed to
ultraviolet radiation, but Verma said if it bonds to other elements
little is known about how long it will survive intact or its effects.
He has also found tiny amounts of tetracycline in a wetland and said
that too has no easily identifiable source.
Verma said he plans to expand his research to try and track down the
source.
