Endocrine disrupting chemicals in fish bile: A rapid method of analysis using English sole (Parophrys vetulus) from Puget Sound, WA, USA

Abstract

This study describes a recently developed and rapid method to measure bisphenol A (BPA), 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) in bile of fish using enzymatic hydrolysis of samples followed by solid-phase extraction and ultra-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The limits of quantitation (LOQ) for BPA, EE2 and E2 were 6.3ngmL−1, 12.5ngmL−1 and 6.3ngmL−1, respectively. These compounds were analyzed in bile of male English sole (Parophrys vetulus) collected from urban and non-urban sites in Puget Sound, WA, USA. The BPA and E2 concentrations (and occurrence) ranged from <LOQ – 52ngmL−1 (10–100%) and <LOQ – 310ngmL−1 (10–70%), respectively. EE2 levels were below the LOQ in all samples. Urban sites were significantly different than non-urban sites, demonstrating the environmental applicability of this analytical method. Moreover, this study presented, for the first time in United States coastal waters, biliary environmental concentrations of these compounds in male English sole collected from Puget Sound, a region of increasing urbanization.