A Review on the Water Quality Criteria of Nonylphenol and the Methodological Construction for Reproduction Toxicity Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals

Abstract

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can adversely impact the hormonal control, sexual differentiation, reproductive success, and community structure of aquatic organisms. Nonylphenol is one kind of typical EDCs which has attracted increasing attention in recent years. The water quality criteria (WQC) of nonylphenol have been established in several countries/institutions according to the water quality guidelines. However, the reproduction toxicity characteristic of EDCs was excluded in the previous WQC study. In this study, the current research progress on WQC for nonylphenol in different countries/institutions is summarized. In addition, the methodology for deriving the WQC based on reproduction toxicity of EDCs, such as selecting a sensitive test species with a hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis or an endocrine-like system, selecting the appropriate endpoint effects for reproduction toxicity, and collecting the chronic toxicity data are discussed. Finally, the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) of nonylphenol derived based on the reproduction toxicity endpoint data was 0.38 μg/L. This result indicated that the PNEC based on reproductive fitness occurred at significantly lower concentrations than that of the other derived toxicity endpoints. The results of this study would provide data support for WQC research and risk assessment of endocrine disruptors.