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Antibiotics,
Pesticides, and Hormones
Antibiotics, pesticides, and hormones are organic compounds which are
used in animal feeding operations and may pose risks if they enter the
environment. For example, chronic toxicity may result from low-level discharges
of antibiotics and pesticides. Estrogen hormones have been implicated
in the reduction in sperm counts among Western men (Sharpe and Skakkebaek,
1993) and reproductive disorders in a variety of wildlife (Colburn et
al., 1993). Other sources of antibiotics and hormones include municipal
wastewaters, septic tank leachate, and runoff from land-applied sewage
sludge. Sources of pesticides include crop runoff and urban runoff.
Little information is available regarding the concentrations of these
compounds in animal wastes, on their fate/transport behavior and bioavailability
in waste-amended soils. These compounds may reach surface waters via runoff
from land-application sites.
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