Estrogenic Activity in the Environment: Municipal Wastewater Effluent, River, Ponds, and Wetlands (original) (raw)
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Toxicological Sciences, 2003
Three sampling campaigns were carried out at each site between November 2000 and September 2001. Vitellogenin (VTG)-mRNA expression in male rainbow trout exposed for two weeks ranged from 3 ؎ 5 to 619 ؎ 188 and from 226 ؎ 38 to 3373 ؎ 1958 pg/g total RNA at sites A and B, respectively. E 2 -equivalents obtained from the in vitro bioassays gave values up to 0.21 ؎ 0.04 nM (57.3 ؎ 10.2 ng/l, PH), 0.07 ؎ 0.03 nM (20.2 ؎ 6.9 ng/l; YES) and 0.008 ؎ 0.002 nM (2.1 ؎ 0.7 ng/l; HEK). In contrast, in one-yearold rainbow trout exposed at site C, no VTG-mRNA induction could be observed after two weeks of exposure. In vitro bioassays (YES, HEK, PH) indicated estrogenic activity at site C, which, however, was lower than at the investigated STP effluents. Chemical analysis of representative water samples from site A identified steroidal estrogens up to 5.6 ng/l 17-estradiol (E 2 ), 19 ng/l estrone as well as 1.5 ng/l 17␣-ethinylestradiol. Furthermore, the sum of fecal-and phytosteroids, resorcyclic lactones, and flavonoid concentrations were 280 (A) and 1.200 ng/l (B). In addition, site C (river Rhine) contained 3.9 ng/l E 2 and 250 ng/l of fecal-and phytosteroids, respectively. Thus, STP effluents and Rhine water contain biologically relevant concentrations of estrogenic compounds, the activity of which can be detected by means of various bioassays.
Quantification of estrogen concentration in a creek receiving wastewater treatment plant effluent
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2020
Estrogen in streams threatens aquatic animals, especially where wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent contributes to baseflow. We investigated total estrogen (E1+E2+E3) as estradiol equivalent (E2) and ethynylestradiol (EE2) concentration in Cibolo Creek (Cibolo), a groundwater-fed stream near San Antonio, TX, receiving effluent via two WWTP. We collected water samples bimonthly from late spring to early fall 2018 in Cibolo and WWTP effluent, and used ELISA analysis and discharge measurements to determine concentrations and loads of estrogens. We measured several environmental variables to investigate what factors influenced estrogen concentrations in Cibolo downstream from WWTP inputs. Mean concen
Detection of estrogenic potency in wastewater and surface water with three in vitro bioassays
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 2002
A study was performed to optimize sample preparation and application of three in vitro assays for measuring estrogenic potency in environmental extracts. The three assays applied were an estrogen receptor (ER)-binding assay and two reporter gene effect assays: a yeast estrogen screen (YES) and the ER-mediated chemically activated luciferase gene expression (ER-CALUX) assay. All assays were able to detect estrogenicity, but the amounts of material needed for the assays differed greatly between the three assays (ER-binding assay k YES Ͼ ER-CALUX). In addition, in the ER-binding assay, both agonists and antagonists give an estrogenic response, resulting in higher estradiol equivalency (EEQ) levels than both the ER-CALUX and the YES assay for the same samples. The EEQs found in wastewater treatment plants (WTPs) with the ER-CALUX assay were in the range of 4 to 440 and 0.11 to 59 pmol/L for influent and effluent, respectively. Water extracts from four large rivers had levels ranging from 0.25 to 1.72 pmol/L. Extracts from suspended matter and sludge contained estrogenic potency of 0.26 to 2.49 and 1.6 to 41 pmol EEQ/g dry weight, respectively. In WTPs, the average reduction of estrogenic potency in effluent compared to influent was 90 to 95% in municipal WTPs and about 50% in industrial WTPs. In influent, 30% of the ER-CALUX activity could not be explained by the calculated potencies based on chemical analysis of a number of known (xeno)estrogens; in effluent the unexplained fraction was 80%. These first results of analyzing estrogenic potency in WTP water and surface water in The Netherlands indicate that further studies are warranted to investigate the actual risks for aquatic systems.
Toxicological Sciences, 2003
Attempts to better understand causal factors affecting estrogenicity in municipal wastewater have primarily focused on analytical evaluation of specific chemical estrogens and the use of estrogen receptor (ER) based in vitro assays. To compare analytical, in vitro and in vivo assays for estrogenicity, wastewater from 4 New York and one Texas municipal wastewater facilities was evaluated for estrogenic activity using the yeast estrogen screen assay (YES) and an in vivo fish vitellogenin assay. Estrogenic activity, as measured by the YES assay, was observed in methanol and/or methylene chloride eluents from C18 extracts in two of the New York treatment facilities and the Texas facility. Estradiol equivalents for the YES assay data ranged from < 1 ng/L to 15ng/L. Male Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) were then exposed for 7d to solvent extracts from the New York-Red Hook facility and the Texas facility. Hepatic and plasma vitellogenin (VTG) were induced in medaka after exposure to the methanol eluent from the New York facility, even though the YES assay indicated that both the methanol and methylene chloride eluents were estrogenic. Whereas an estrogenic response in the YES assay was only observed in the methanol eluent from the Texas facility, plasma VTG induction was observed in both the methanol and methylene chloride eluents. In vivo estrogenic activity was nearly 10 fold greater than YES activity indicating the presence of non-estrogen receptor ligands that elicit estrogenic effects in fish through indirect mechanisms. The sole use of in vitro assays to screen for estrogenicity may underestimate estrogenic potential of wastewater. by guest on January 22, 2016 http://toxsci.oxfordjournals.org/ Downloaded from 3 Keywords: YES, wastewater effluent, estrogenic activity, vitellogenin, TIE by guest on January 22, 2016 http://toxsci.oxfordjournals.org/ Downloaded from
Science of The Total Environment, 2017
In vitro bioassays have been successfully used to screen for estrogenic activity in wastewater and surface water, however, few have been applied to treated drinking water. Here, extracts of source and treated water samples were assayed for estrogenic activity using T47D-KBluc cells and analyzed by liquid chromatography-Fourier transform mass spectrometry (LC-FTMS) for natural and synthetic estrogens (including estrone, 17β-estradiol, estriol, and ethinyl estradiol). None of the estrogens were detected above the LC-FTMS quantification limits in treated samples and only 5 source waters had quantifiable concentrations of estrone, whereas 3 treated samples and 16 source samples displayed in vitro estrogenicity. Estrone accounted for the majority of estrogenic activity in respective samples, however the remaining samples that displayed estrogenic activity had no quantitative detections of known estrogenic compounds by chemical analyses. Source water estrogenicity (max, 0.47 ng 17β-estradiol equivalents (E2Eq) L −1) was below levels that have been linked to adverse effects in fish and other aquatic organisms. Treated water estrogenicity (max, 0.078 ng E2Eq L −1) was considerably below levels that are expected to be biologically relevant to human consumers. Overall, the advantage of using in vitro techniques in addition to analytical chemical determinations was displayed by the sensitivity of the T47D-KBluc bioassay, coupled with the ability to measure cumulative effects of mixtures, specifically when unknown chemicals may be present. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 2006
Sewage treatment works (STW) discharge estrogenic effluent into rivers, which leads to variable estrogenicity of river water. Here, we characterize how the factors effluent and hydrology influence the estrogenicity of river water. We selected a river for which good hydrological data are available and collected water samples upstream and downstream from a STW discharge; effluent was sampled as well. Sampling took place during four 12-d periods, associated with the seasons, and always occurred in the morning. We also investigated the estrogenicity along the river, both by grab sampling and by passive sampling. Estrogens were analyzed by a recombinant yeast assay (YES); the estrogenicity of a sample was equated to the 17-estradiol standard of the YES (ng/L). Estrogenicity upstream from the STW was mostly close to the detection limit of the YES (maximum, 0.4 ng/L). Estrogenicity of effluent ranged between 0.2 and 7.7 ng/L; lower estrogenicity was associated with higher hydraulic retention times. Downstream from the STW, estrogenicity exceeded 1 ng/L on 25% of the days (maximum, 2.1 ng/L). Measured river water estrogenicity correlated positively and significantly with predicted estrogenicity based on effluent estrogenicity and effluent dilution factor. Grab samples taken along the river indicate that no significant sources of estrogens were upstream from the STW; downstream from the STW, the pattern of estrogenicity was highly variable. However, passive sampling showed that the estrogenicity of river water downstream from the STW decreased continuously with increasing distance from the STW, which is largely explained by dilution.
University of California Water Resources Center, 2005
Endocrine disrupting agents encompass a vast array of compounds that have multiple biological targets and degrade water quality, especially if this water is to be re-used for groundwater recharge or agricultural practices. Antiestrogenic and estrogenic activities and chemicals have been observed in effluents from full secondary treatment. Assuming that estrogens and antiestrogens are present in wastewater effluent, the overall aim of this study is to assess the efficiency of treatment processes for the removal of these compounds in one of the major water reclamation producers in the western United States: the Orange County Water District. Utilizing an in vivo bioassay developed in the PI's laboratory effluents were evaluated after various water treatment processes for the occurrence of estrogenic and antiestrogenic compounds. Treatment processes included reverse osmosis, filtration/chlorination of secondary effluent, ground water filtration, and wetland treatment. In vivo estrogenic activity was observed in fish exposed to effluent treated with filtration/chlorination (which is subsequently used for non-potable purposes), ground water and constructed wetlands. No activity was observed in reconstituted water that had been treated with reverse osmosis. Our results also suggest that in vitro assays based solely on estrogen receptor ligand activity (YES) may underestimate estrogenic activity of sampled water. Although not as robust a measurement as estrogenic activity, in vivo antiestrogenic activity was observed in fish exposed to wastewater samples treated with filtration/chlorination and the wetland. Moreover, wastewater after the wetland treatment seemed to have more antiestrogenic activity than before the treatment. These data indicated the occurrence of antiestrogenic and estrogenic compounds in water following various treatment processes. It is recommended that source identification be considered in future studies utilizing chromatographic fractionation methods to better understand the potential risk associated with these compounds in reclaimed water.
TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 2009
Estrogenic disrupting potency was studied in rivers and wastewaters in the Orge catchment near Paris area, using analytical and biological approaches simultaneously. The MELN test was applied to surface water samples, urban storm runoff and WWTP effluent in parallel to analytical determinations of natural estrogens and synthetic estrogen (ethinylestradiol) using liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. Estrone was quantified in all samples, from 0.1 to 15.7 ng·L -1 . β-Estradiol was also quantified in all samples, but at a lower level: from 0.1 to 2.3 ng·L -1 . α-Estradiol was never detected. Ethinylestradiol was only quantified in WWTP effluent (0.2 ng·L -1 ); Estriol was measured in WWTP effluent (12.1 ng·L -1 ) and downstream effluent (4.9 ng·L -1 ). The biological responses using the MELN test closely followed the chemical ones. Analytical quantification of estrogens appears to be a simple way to trace estrogenic disruption in surface waters of urban areas as these hormones are the main responsible of effects.
Chemosphere, 2008
An effects-directed strategy was applied to bed sediments of a polluted tributary in order to isolate and identify the major estrogenic chemicals it discharges into the River Po, the principal Italian watercourse. Sediment extract was concentrated by solid phase extraction and then fractioned into 10 fractions by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Estrogenic activity of whole extract and fractions were determined using a recombinant yeast assay containing the human estrogen receptor (YES). The 10 fractions and whole extract were analysed for target compounds, e.g. estrone (E1), 17bestradiol (E2), estriol (E3), 4-nonylphenol (NP), 4-tert-octylphenol (t-OP), bisphenol A (BPA), using both liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and non-competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The YES assay determined high estrogenic activity in whole sediment (15.6 ng/g EE2 equivalents), and positive results for fractions nr 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8. E1, E3 and NP were the main estrogenic chemicals, however, other unidentified compounds contributed to sediment estrogenicity, particularly for polar fractions nr 1 and 2. A GC-MS screening performed in scan mode identified other potential contributors such as phthalates (DBP, BBP), and OP isomers. A next sampling campaign extended to other tributaries and receiving stretches of the River Po confirmed E1, E3 and NP as major estrogenic chemicals potentially threatening other sites of the main river. In general, target compound ELISAs have been shown to be suitable tools for a rapid screening of wide areas or large numbers of environmental samples for estrogenic risk. The potential for interferences suggests however to use cautiously the concentration values obtained from some of the immunoassays.
Analytical Challenges and Recent Advances in the Determination of Estrogens in Water Environments
Journal of Chromatographic Science, 2009
Estrogens have been shown to be present in the water compartment, mainly due to the inefficient removal in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). The concentrations of these compounds, although very low (low ng/L), are sufficient to induce estrogenic responses and alter the normal reproduction and development of wildlife organisms. The compounds have been determined, by a variety of analytical procedures, in the influents and effluents of WWTP, fresh waters, rivers, and even drinking waters. Determination of natural and synthetic estrogens and progestogens in natural water is, however, a difficult analytical task, because of the very low detection limits required and the complexity of the matrix. Thus, in general, complicated, timeconsuming extraction and purification processes, usually based on the application of solid-liquid extraction, are performed before final determination by immunoassay, high-performance liquid chromatography, or gas chromatography, very often coupled with mass spectrometry. This paper reviews the analytical methods so far described for the analysis of estrogens, which are currently important environmental pollutants presented in natural and wastewaters. Discuss of the main steps, from sampling up to analysis, and the techniques most commonly used in the determination is presented.