The pollution caused by veterinary antibiotics within freshwater :An assessment of the pathways and the effectivity of reduction measures using VANTOM

The use of veterinary antibiotics is a common practice within livestock agriculture. Because of its popularity it potentially pollutes freshwater entities. Globally, high concentrations of veterinary pharmaceuticals have been detected, which can have significant ecotoxicological effects. The goal of this research is to improve the understanding of this pollution, by modelling the pathways of 8 types of antibiotics between the application on the field and inflow into freshwater. With help of the model VANTOM and the Grey Water Footprint concept, the pollution is quantified so that different scenarios and reduction measures can be compared. This is done with a case study of the Vecht catchment.