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The continuous discharge of antibiotic pharmaceuticals from incomplete wastewater treatment processes into receiving water bodies has become a matter of both scientific and public concern as antibiotics may exert adverse influences on non-target organisms. In this study, the occurrence of seven most commonly prescribed antibiotics belonging to four therapeutic classes of β-lactams, cephalosporins, macrolides, and fluoroquinolones were investigated in the effluent of two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and two river waters: Firozabad Ditch (receiving effluent) and Kan River (not receiving effluent) in Tehran, Iran. In 2016, average consumption rate of target antibiotics in Tehran province was evaluated based on Anatomical Therapeutic chemical (ATC)/Defined Daily Dose (DDD) system and reported as DDD/1000 inh/day. The highest consumption rate was for amoxicillin (128017.6 mg/1000 inhabitants …