title: Distribution of endocrine disruptors in the Llobregat River basin (Catalonia, NE Spain).
abstract: The Llobregat basin is a Mediterranean fluvial system with major agricultural, urban and industrial impacts. We combined chemical quantification by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with electrospray interface (LC-ESI-MS) and the recombinant yeast assay (RYA) assays to estimate the loads of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) along the basin. Chemical analysis revealed maximum concentrations (at microg l(-1) level) of alkylphenols at the lower course of the Llobregat River, which correlated with high levels of estrogenic activity detected by RYA. Analysis by RYA and LC-ESI-MS of influent and effluent waters from four sewage treatment plants (STP) discharging into the basin showed the removal of 80-95% of EDCs by STP treatment. Chemical analysis data and RYA data showed a quasi-linear correlation, demonstrating the complementariness of both methods. Our data suggest that the concentrations of the analysed compounds were enough to explain the total estrogenicity of water and STP samples from the Llobregat basin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Chemistry, IIQAB-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Céspedes
authors.forename: Sílvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lacorte
authors.forename: Demetrio
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raldúa
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ginebreda
authors.forename: Damià
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barceló
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Piña
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D013030:Spain; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D015003:Yeasts / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D010636:Phenols; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical