The increase in livestock and agricultural production has led to the widespread use of veterinary drugs, including antibiotics, antiparasitic, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), hormones, and pesticides, to accelerate productivity and control disease. After excretion, these compounds remain unmetabolized and can contaminate the surrounding environment through uncontrolled use of manure, wastewater, and direct treatment practices. This review focuses on the multiple environmental exposure pathways through which pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals may contaminate ecosystems, particularly emphasizing the impact that this problem may have on the health of pollinators. For example, honeybees can be exposed to pharmaceutical residues through contaminated soil, water, nectar, and pollen, which often leads to acute toxicity and sublethal effects on reproduction, immune function, and behavior. The persistence of these residues in the environment exacerbates antimicrobial resistance, which poses a global threat. In addition, this study reveals different methods of extraction and detection of pharmaceutical residues from honey, encompassing advanced analytical techniques such as liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry detection. This review highlights the chronic and synergistic effects of pharmaceuticals on bee health and emphasizes risk assessment strategies to mitigate the ecological impact of pharmaceuticals on livestock production.
Sunilkumar et al. (Mon,) studied this question.