Lower middle income countries in South Asia and Latin America have some of the world’s highest levels of pharmaceutical pollutants in their rivers, raising concerns over the risk of bacteria developing resistance to antibiotics.
A pioneering analysis based on samples in 104 countries published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found that “contaminants in surface water pose a threat to environmental and/or human health in more than a quarter of the studied locations”.
It throws a spotlight on regions where poor management of waste and wastewater is combined with local pharmaceutical production — and where greater healthcare spending by individuals, or governments, has improved access to medicines.
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