Efficacy of an advanced sewage treatment plant in southeast Queensland, Australia, to remove estrogenic chemicals.
The estrogenicity profile of domestic sewage during treatment at a medium-sized (3800 EP) advanced biological nutrient removal plant in Queensland, Australia, was characterized using a sheep estrogen receptor binding assay (ERBA) and the MCF-7 breast cancer cell proliferation assay (E-Screen). The raw influent was highly estrogenic (20-54 ng/L EEq), and primary treatment resulted in a slight increase in estrogenicity that was detected in one of the assays (6-80 ng/L). Concurrent chemical analysis suggested that most of the estrogenicity in the influent was due to natural hormones (>48%). Secondary activated sludge treatment followed by nitrification/denitrification effectively removed > 95% of the estrogenic activity (to <0.75-2.6 ng/L), and estrogenicity of the final tertiary-treated effluent was below the detection limit of both assays (<0.75 ng/L).
Leusch
Frederic D L
FD
Centre for Environmental Toxicology, PO Box 84, Lincoln, New Zealand.
Chapman
Heather F
HF
Korner
Wolfgang
W
Gooneratne
S Ravi
SR
Tremblay
Louis A
LA
D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004958:Estradiol / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D004970:Estrone / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D011793:Queensland; D011869:Radioligand Assay; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D004970:Estrone; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol; D004958:Estradiol