Pharmaceutical waste disposal: assessment of its effects on bacterial communities in soil and groundwater

A preliminary ecological characterisation of an open quarry that had been used for the disposal of pharmaceutical wastes from a factory producing antibiotics was performed. Pharmaceutical wastes and groundwater samples were collected and analysed in order to assess both the bacterial community structure and functioning, and the contamination by organic compounds, including antibiotics. Bacterial abundance measured using the epifluorescence direct count method, cell viability measured by using two fluorescent dyes, species diversity measured by assessing the bacterial community structure using fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) and soil microbial activity based on dehydrogenase activity were used as microbiological indicators to evaluate the 'quality state' of the area studied. The overall results show that groundwater has a low-quality state in terms of bacterial viability, activity and diversity, associated with trace contamination by antibiotics and chlorinated volatile organics.