Antibiotics, as pollutants of emerging concern, can enter marine environments, rivers, and lakes and endanger ecology and human health. The purpose of this study was to review the studies conducted on the presence of antibiotics in water, sediments, and organisms in aquatic environments (i.e., seas, rivers, and lakes). Most of the reviewed studies were conducted in 2018 (15%) and 2014 (11%). Antibiotics were reported in aqueous media at a concentration of <1 ng/L–100 μg/L. The results showed that the highest number of works were conducted in the Asian continent (seas: 74%, rivers: 78%, lakes: 87%, living organisms: 100%). The highest concentration of antibiotics in water and sea sediments, with a frequency of 49%, was related to fluoroquinolones. According to the results, the highest amounts of antibiotics in water and sediment were reported as 460 ng/L and 406 ng/g, respectively. In rivers, sulfonamides had the highest abundance (30%). Fluoroquinolones (with an abundance of 34%) had the highest concentration in lakes. Moreover, the highest concentration of fluoroquinolones in living organisms was reported at 68,000 ng/g, with a frequency of 39%. According to the obtained results, it can be concluded that sulfonamides and fluoroquinolones are among the most dangerous antibiotics due to their high concentrations in the environment. This review provides timely information regarding the presence of antibiotics in different aquatic environments, which can be helpful for estimating ecological risks, contamination levels, and their management.

This paper explores the impact of environmental factors on the adsorption of cadmium (Cd) and cephalexin (CEX) onto polyethylene (PE) microplastics. The study focused on Cd adsorption behavior on microplastics (MPs) of various sizes, revealing that particles sized 30–63 μm exhibited the highest adsorption capacity compared to other sizes. Cd sorption was significantly influenced by initial pH and salinity levels. Experimental data closely matched both the Langmuir (R² > 0.91) and Freundlich (R² > 0.92) isotherms. Cd adsorption onto PE particles was greater than CEX adsorption, with the maximum Cd uptake capacity measured at 1.8 mg/g. FTIR analysis indicated that Cd and CEX adsorption onto MPs was likely governed by physical interactions, as no new functional groups were detected post-uptake. The desorption rates of Cd and CEX from PE microplastics were evaluated in various liquids, including aqueous solution, tap water, seawater, and synthetic gastric juice. The health risks associated with Cd, in combination with MPs and CEX, for both children and adults were assessed in groundwater and aqueous solutions. This study offers scientific insights and guidelines for examining the environmental behavior, migration, and transformation of microplastics and their related ecological risks in scenarios of combined pollution.