Antibiotics in surface water pose 'indirect health risk'

High levels of antibiotics are polluting China's surface water, posing risks to the ecosystem and human health, a recent review of research has found.

According to the review, 159 types of pharmaceuticals and personal-care products have been discovered in the country's water, 68 of which are antibiotics.

The concentration and detection of antibiotics far exceeds those in Western countries, according to the review, which was conducted by six researchers from East China University of Science and Technology, Tongji University and Tsinghua University and published on the latest version of the Chinese Science Bulletin.