Amoxicillin
Cities measured
87
Detected in
87 / 87
Highest
0.088 μg/L — Delhi
Overview
Amoxicillin is a broad-spectrum penicillin and one of the most prescribed antibiotics worldwide. It degrades relatively rapidly in the environment but its extensive global use means constant presence in wastewater systems.
Health Relevance
At environmental concentrations, amoxicillin causes no acute effects. However, sub-inhibitory antibiotic concentrations can accelerate resistance gene transfer among environmental bacteria.
Regulatory Limits
Drinking Water Directive 2020/2184
No EU regulatory limit.
Controversy & Contested Science
The over-prescription of amoxicillin — particularly for viral infections where it is ineffective — is widely cited as a driver of AMR. WHO has urged restricting antibiotic access, but this conflicts with basic healthcare access in low- and middle-income countries where amoxicillin is often the only affordable infection treatment. The ethical tension between AMR control and healthcare equity makes antibiotic stewardship policy among the most contested areas of global health governance.