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<p>The Environment Agency (EA) monitors several antibiotics in watercourses as part
of a surveillance network of substances on an EU Watch List. This dataset as a whole
is collated across Europe to assess the level of exposure and prioritise substances
for future inclusion under the Water Framework Directive. If selected, Europe wide
environmental quality standards will be developed and implemented through this process.</p><p>
</p><p>The EA has over the last five years continued working with the water industry
via United Kingdom Water Industry Research to understand better and quantify levels
of antibiotics in pre- and post-treatment effluents from sewage treatment works. This
will continue in the next phase of work due to start in 2020.</p><p><br> Together
these have demonstrated that:</p><p> </p><ul><li>Antibiotics are present in effluents
and watercourses and will need to be assessed against any future environmental quality
standards.</li><li>Wastewater treatment processes in common usage remove a relatively
small proportion of the antibiotics studied (compared to other substances in effluents)
before release into the environment.</li></ul><p> </p><p>A study report, reference
number 18/EQ/01/13, is available from United Kingdom Water Industry Research <a href="https://www.ukwir.org/eng/search-uk-water-industry-research-reports"
target="_blank">https://www.ukwir.org/eng/search-uk-water-industry-research-reports</a>.</p><p>
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