Characterization of Missouri surface waters near point sources of pollution reveals potential novel atmospheric route of exposure for bisphenol A and wastewater hormonal activity pattern.
Surface water contamination by chemical pollutants increasingly threatens water quality around the world. Among the many contaminants found in surface water, there is growing concern regarding endocrine disrupting chemicals, based on their ability to interfere with some aspect of hormone action in exposed organisms, including humans. This study assessed water quality at several sites across Missouri (near wastewater treatment plants and airborne release sites of bisphenol A) based on hormone receptor activation potencies and chemical concentrations present in the surface water. We hypothesized that bisphenol A and ethinylestradiol would be greater in water near permitted airborne release sites and wastewater treatment plant inputs, respectively, and that these two compounds would be responsible for the majority of activities in receptor-based assays conducted with water collected near these sites. Concentrations of bisphenol A and ethinylestradiol were compared to observed receptor activities using authentic standards to assess contribution to total activities, and quantitation of a comprehensive set of wastewater compounds was performed to better characterize each site. Bisphenol A concentrations were found to be elevated in surface water near permitted airborne release sites, raising questions that airborne releases of BPA may influence nearby surface water contamination and may represent a previously underestimated source to the environment and potential for human exposure. Estrogen and androgen receptor activities of surface water samples were predictive of wastewater input, although the lower sensitivity of the ethinylestradiol ELISA relative to the very high sensitivity of the bioassay approaches did not allow a direct comparison. Wastewater-influenced sites also had elevated anti-estrogenic and anti-androgenic equivalence, while sites without wastewater discharges exhibited no antagonist activities.
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, United States; Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, United States.
Christopher D
CD
Kassotis
U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental Research Center, 4200 New Haven Road, Columbia, MO 65201, United States.
David A
DA
Alvarez
Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, United States.
Julia A
JA
Taylor
Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, United States.
Frederick S
FS
vom Saal
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, United States; Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, United States.
Susan C
SC
Nagel
U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental Research Center, 4200 New Haven Road, Columbia, MO 65201, United States; Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, United States. Electronic address: dtillitt@usgs.gov.
Donald E
DE
Tillitt
D001272:Atmosphere / Q000737:chemistry; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds / Q000032:analysis*; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D008923:Missouri; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis*; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D010636:Phenols; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C006780:bisphenol A; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
Atmospheric release; Bisphenol A; Endocrine disrupting chemicals; Ethinylestradiol; Hormonal activity; Water quality