title: Distribution of endocrine disruptors in the Mondego River estuary, Portugal.
abstract: Recent studies in the Mondego River estuary demonstrated signs of pollution in the area, but the nature of the contamination remains unexplored. Because there seems to be any studies in that zone checking for the simultaneous presence of xenoestrogenic endocrine disrupting compounds, either of animal (estradiol and estrone), vegetal (daidzein, genistein and biochanin A), pharmaceutical (17alpha-ethynylestradiol) or industrial (bisphenol A, 4-octylphenol, 4-nonylphenol) origins, the main objective of this study was to investigate their presence, in every year season and at eight points along the estuarine gradient. For this propose, water samples (2 L) were collected in high and low tides, preconcentrated in the Oasis HLB cartridges and cleaned in silica cartridges before their analysis by HPLC-DAD and GC-MS. The current data showed the absence of contamination by animal or pharmaceutical estrogens and by alkylphenols, but demonstrated the presence of high levels of phytoestrogens (up to 1.1 mug/L) and of bisphenol A (up to 880.0 ng/L). Because these two chemicals existed in high environmental concentrations in the most upstream sampling station, and taking in account that these pollutants may additively contribute to endocrine disruption, namely on fish, it was concluded that at least this particularly area of the Mondego estuary deserves continuous monitoring programmes.
authors.affiliation: Superior Institute of Health Sciences-North (ISCS-N), Gandra, Paredes, Portugal.
authors.forename: Cláudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Miguel Angelo
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pardal
authors.forename: Filipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martinho
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Margalho
authors.forename: Maria Elizabeth
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Tiritan
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Maria João
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Rocha
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D015394:Molecular Structure; D048789:Phytoestrogens / Q000032:analysis; D011174:Portugal; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012621:Seasons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D048789:Phytoestrogens; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical