U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week: Environmental Health Spotlight

Minnesota Department of Health sent this bulletin at 11/21/2025 10:30 AM CST
Minnesota One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Collaborative

U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week: Environmental Health Spotlight
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Nov. 21, 2025

In this issue:

Stewardship trivia? You betcha!

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Which of the following are ways that human activity can introduce antibiotics and antifungals into the environment?


A. Antibiotic-containing waste and wastewater

B. Improper disposal of unused antibiotics and antifungals

C. Use of antibiotics and antifungals such as pesticides on plants or crops
D. Pharmaceutical manufacturing waste

E. All of the above

 

The answer is at the bottom of this newsletter.

Student Spotlight

Aiva Schmitz – Future Health Hero

Aiva Schmitz, master’s student in Environmental Public Health at the University of Minnesota

Aiva Schmitz, a master’s student in Environmental Public Health at the University of Minnesota, recently had the opportunity to complete a One Health internship at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Her focus was on antibiotic contamination in Minnesota’s water. This internship exposed Aiva to the interdisciplinary field of environmental public health and how human and animal antibiotics are ending up in our environment.

Aiva drove through Minnesota with MPCA staff to collect water samples at various streams and rivers. The MDH Public Health Laboratory screened the water samples and detected 31 chemicals, including antibiotics and hormones. These pharmaceuticals were not only found in the water near the Twin Cities metro, but even in remote areas in northern Minnesota.

Data on the presence of antibiotics was then compared to current pharmaceutical water screening levels while reviewing potential human health implications. Toxicity information was then used to determine if current threshold values for pharmaceuticals in drinking water needed to be updated. This process ensures that the public's drinking water is safe to consume.

Aiva also had the opportunity to meet with MDH staff who collaborate with the Minnesota One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Collaborative (MOHASC). She learned about their research and approach to antibiotic stewardship across the One Health spectrum. She also volunteered at the MOHASC booth at the Minnesota State Fair, where she talked with fairgoers about habits everyone can follow to minimize antibiotic resistance, such as the proper use and disposal of antibiotics.

Aiva aspires to be a physician and is currently in the interview process for medical school.

Learn more:

Minnesota Department of Health: Drinking Water Protection

Minnesota One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Collaborative

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency: Water Quality

Proper Medication Disposal

Don’t Flush Medicines Down the Drain!

Disposing of old or unwanted human and veterinary medications in a medication drop box is an important way to prevent environmental contamination. If flushed down the toilet or drain, these pharmaceuticals can contaminate our lakes and streams, which can hurt fish and other wildlife, as well as end up in our drinking water. There are over 300 free medication collection boxes around Minnesota that are located at law enforcement facilities and pharmacies. For locations and more information, visit Minnesota Pollution Control Agency: Don't flush medicines down the drain.

Find your nearest medication disposal site | www.pca.state.mn.us/unwantedmeds
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Food Safety Starts at the Source

Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Drug Residue Prevention Program

Producing safe food starts at the source, and in animal agriculture, antibiotic stewardship and drug residue prevention play a key role in safe food production. When used appropriately, antibiotics and other veterinary drugs are safe and even essential under certain circumstances for treating illness or other conditions to maintain an animal’s health and welfare. After antibiotic use, preventing residues in food products is key to ensuring those products are safe and fit for human consumption.

In the State of Minnesota, the Department of Agriculture’s Dairy and Meat Inspection Division (DMID) promotes antibiotic stewardship and drug residue prevention practices to avoid contamination of meat and milk products. This is done by working closely with producers, veterinarians, and industry stakeholders to communicate appropriate drug use and effective management practices for antibiotics used in animal agriculture. DMID supports antibiotic stewardship through both regulatory and educational (non-regulatory) activities, including sampling of meat and milk products; on-farm inspections; and proactive education in partnership with producers, livestock veterinarians, and industry stakeholders. Together, each team member plays a role in upholding the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s mission to ensure the integrity of our food supply.

To learn more, visit Minnesota Department of Agriculture: Drug Residue Prevention Program.

group of sheep in a barn

 

Additional resources

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Trivia Answer!

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Which of the following are ways that human activity can introduce antibiotics and antifungals into the environment?

E. All of the above

Human activity that contaminates the environment can speed up the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. Learn more about how antimicrobial resistance can spread through the environment and in agriculture:

CDC: Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment and the Food Supply: Causes and How It Spreads

MDH: Antibiotics and the Environment: What You Should Know (PDF)

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