Source orientation, environmental fate, and risks of antibiotics in the surface water of the largest sediment-laden river

Antibiotics present a more complex pollution profile in large rivers, particularly in suspended sediment-laden flows. This study quantified 25 antibiotics in surface water samples from the whole sediment-laden Yellow River. A new comprehensive prioritization index (CPI) was developed to identify priority risk control regions. The concentrations of the detected antibiotics ranged from 0.670 to 232 ng/L (mean: 9.62 ng/L), with the highest mean concentration observed for tetracyclines (TCs) at 20.2 ng/L. The most prominent antibiotic pollution was observed in the midstream region, with mean concentrations reaching 251 ng/L. Three SEMs were constructed for three antibiotic categories, with 75.6 % of the variation explained for SAs and CAs. Suspended particulate matter (SPM) significantly influences the environmental fate of antibiotics directly, negatively affecting TCs and QNs (λ = −0.302) but positively impacting SAs and CAs (λ = 0.475). Source apportionment precisely revealed that human sources in the midstream region and animal sources downstream contributed 80.75 % and 71.55 %, respectively. Although more than 85 % of the risk values were less than 0.1, the midstream region was identified as the priority control region (CPI_TOX >0.01). In particular, OFL, CTC, and ENO from human sources were the main contributors in the midstream region. This study elucidates antibiotic fate and risks in the whole sediment-laden Yellow River, providing a scientific basis for assessing pollution in other large rivers.