Fish bile used to detect estrogenic substances in treated sewage water.
Endocrine disrupting effects on fish associated with sewage treatment effluents have been demonstrated in several studies. To investigate if the effluents from two modern Swedish sewage treatment plants contained estrogenic substances, juvenile rainbow trout were exposed to sewage water before and after the last treatment step which is a sand filter. As a biomarker for estrogenic effect, vitellogenin was analysed in the blood plasma of the exposed fish. To identify substances possibly responsible for the effect, bile fluid from the exposed fish were analysed with GC/MS. Elevated levels of vitellogenin were only seen in the fish exposed at one of the sewage treatment plants, the one with shorter residence time in the biological treatment steps, which suggests that the residence time is of importance for the ability to reduce the amount of estrogenic substances in the sewage water. The highest elevation of vitellogenin was seen in the fish exposed to water before the sand filter, which indicates that the sand filter contributes to further reduction of estrogenic substances in the sewage water. In bile from the same group of fish, considerably higher concentrations of estrone, bisphenol A and 4-nonylphenol (4.0 microg/g bile, 23 microg/g bile and 24 microg/g bile, respectively) were observed compared to bile from control fish (<0.04 microg/g bile, 0.21 microg/g bile, and 3.5 microg/g bile, respectively). The more potent steroidal estrogens were suggested to be major contributors to the observed estrogenic effect, although xenoestrogens were detected at higher concentrations in the bile fluid.
Pettersson
Maria
M
Department of Applied Environmental Science (ITM), Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. maria.pettersson@itm.su.se
Adolfsson-Erici
Margaretha
M
Parkkonen
Jari
J
Förlin
Lars
L
Asplund
Lillemor
L
D000818:Animals; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D001646:Bile / Q000737:chemistry*; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods; D004967:Estrogens / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D004970:Estrone / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D005374:Filtration; D005399:Fishes; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D007221:Industry; D017686:Oncorhynchus mykiss; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology; D014819:Vitellogenins / Q000097:blood; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D004967:Estrogens; D004970:Estrone; D010636:Phenols; D012722:Sewage; D014819:Vitellogenins; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C041594:4-nonylphenol; C006780:bisphenol A; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds