Evaluation of the Presence of Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds in Dissolved and Solid Wastewater Treatment Plant Samples of Gran Canaria Island (Spain)

T Vega-Morales,J J Santana-Rodríguez,Z Sosa-Ferrera

doi:10.1155/2013/790570

T Vega-Morales, J J Santana-Rodríguez + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/790570

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Abstract

Liquid and solid samples from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) on Gran Canaria Island (Spain) have been tested for the presence of compounds with endocrine-disrupting properties. The selected degradation stages were sampled bimonthly from each WWTP over the 12-month period from July 2010 to July 2011. The analytical methods used for the determination of the endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) were based on on-line solid phase extraction, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), and ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) coupled to UHPLC-MS/MS. All of the hyphenated methodologies employed in this work showed good recoveries (72–104%) and sensitivities, with LODs lower than 7.0 ng L−1 and 6.3 ng g−1 for the dissolved and solid fractions, respectively. We have also evaluated the estrogenicity of the samples in terms of their estradiol equivalent concentrations (EEQs). The chemical analysis of the selected EDCs revealed fairly low concentrations for both natural and synthetic oestrogens, alkylphenolic compounds, and bisphenol-A in each of the dissolved, particulate, and sludge samples (ng L−1 or ng g−1). However, the estimated estrogenic activity indicated that the majority of samples could represent an important environmental risk, clearly surpassing the threshold to exert deleterious consequences on living beings.

Highlights

The current concern about endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) is based on scientific facts that collectively indicate that EDCs potential could induce unhealthy changes in humans and wildlife species even at low, ng L−1, concentration levels [1,2,3]
In order to take into consideration the matrix effects, a well-known phenomenon which usually impair the proper ionization of the analytes in complex matrices when using electrospray interface (ESI) interfaces, we have employed in each methodology a matrix-matched calibration for the quantification of the analytes
Each table shows the concentration of the selected analytes in the dissolved phase fraction and solid phases, respectively

Summary

Introduction

The current concern about endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) is based on scientific facts that collectively indicate that EDCs potential could induce unhealthy changes in humans and wildlife species even at low, ng L−1, concentration levels [1,2,3]. Among EDCs, those that mimic endogenous oestrogens are important because of their central role in reproductive functions [4]. This type of endocrine disrupter, referred as estrogenic endocrine disrupting compounds (e-EDCs), interacts with the human oestrogen receptor (hERα), which has larger and more flexible binding sites than what natural oestrogen (17β-estradiol) requires and is a more vulnerable target for a broad range of interferents with high structural diversity [4]. There is evidence that prolonged exposure to these substances, even at trace concentrations, could be a causal factor in breast cancer [6] and testicular germ cell cancer [7]. e-EDCs have been correlated to increased rates of hypospadias and cryptorchidism [8] as well as the decreasing sperm count observed in many countries [9]

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