Evaluating Veterinary Pharmaceutical Behavior in the Environment

Scientists, engineers, and public policy experts from academia, government and industry gathered in Denver, Colorado at the 242nd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) to present and to evaluate information regarding veterinary pharmaceuticals occurrence and behavior in the environment. This book includes contributions from several of the groups that presented information in that forum. The symposium was coordinated by the Divisions of Environmental Chemistry and Agricultural Chemistry. Speaker participation was facilitated by funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and an Innovation Award from the Divisional Activities Committee of the ACS.
Techniques presented in the Symposium, spanned a wide range of topics including regulatory processes, environmental sampling, chemical analysis, biochemical assays, biological effects, transport, transformation, and environmental fate. One of the major foci of this symposium was the distribution and fate of antibiotics and steroidal growth promoters that are used in concentrated feeding operations. It is important that the fate and effects of these veterinary pharmaceuticals in the environment are understood more thoroughly. If environmental systems are not at risk then efforts can be focused on other areas of inquiry. As always, if any adverse effects are identified, risk benefit analyses will be needed to determine the best course of action for mitigating potential adverse effects. Many techniques presented in this text can be used as the basis for integrated assessments of environmental fate and effects of veterinary pharmaceuticals.

George P. Cobb is affiliated with Baylor University. Philip N. Smith is affiliated with Texas Tech University.