Soil Antibiotics: How Long Will This Matrix Be Neglected?

One of the first things we think of when we talk about antibiotics is curing infectious diseases. But did this great discovery only bring benefits to humanity? The answer is simple and direct: No. Over decades we have observed that the indiscriminate use, and sometimes incorrect, together with the lack of concern in the disposal of these compounds, has brought many risks to human health. This problem has already been discussed by public health experts, in the context of antimicrobial resistance, since there is an estimate that, in just over two decades, it will exceed 10 million deaths and cause economic losses in the order of 10 trillion dollars per year. Only more recently have studies directed efforts to investigate the effects of antibiotics in the context of One Health, incorporating environmental health into this context. When we look at the distribution and fate studies of antibiotics, it is clear that most studies are focused on the aquatic compartment. Soil, in turn, although it is a direct receptor of antibiotics, especially in veterinary and agricultural areas, has received less attention. This becomes even more complex when trying to assess the effects of antibiotics on organisms and edaphic communities that occupy key ecological niches for ecosystem services. Many questions are open about the ecotoxicological impact of antibiotics on non-target soil organisms and their ecological, economic and social consequences. This is certainly a question that scientists in the field of ecotoxicology must be concerned with answering.