title: Toxicological relevance of endocrine disruptors in the Tagus River estuary (Lisbon, Portugal).
abstract: The Tagus is the longest Iberian river, notwithstanding, the levels of natural and xenoestrogenic endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) were never measured in its estuary. Suspecting for their presence, we made a major survey of 17 EDCs that include: (i) natural (17β-oestradiol and estrone) and pharmaceutical oestrogens (17α-ethynylestradiol); (ii) industrial and household pollutants (octylphenols, nonylphenols and their mono and diethoxylates, and bisphenol A); (iii) phytoestrogens (biochanin A, daidzein, formononetin, genistein); and (iv) the phytosterol (sitosterol). Water samples from the Tagus estuary were taken from nine locations every 2 months over a 1-year period and analysed by gas chromatography. Oestrogens, industrial/household pollutants were consistently higher at two sites-at Tagus River mouth and close to the Trancão tributary, both at Lisbon region. The overall oestrogenic load, in ethynylestradiol equivalents, was 13 ng/L for oestrogens, 2.3 ng/L for industrial/household pollutants and 43 ng/L for phytoestrogens; well in the range of toxicological significance. Water physicochemical parameters also indicated anthropogenic pollution, mainly at the two above-referred sampling sites.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cellular, Molecular and Analytical Studies, Interdisciplinary Centre for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), CIMAR Associate Laboratory (CIMAR LA), University of Porto (UPorto), Porto, Portugal, mjrocha@icbas.up.pt.
authors.forename: Maria João
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Catarina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cruzeiro
authors.forename: Mário
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.forename: Miguel Ângelo
authors.initials: MÂ
authors.lastname: Pardal
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rocha
mesh_terms: D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D063366:Estuaries; D057230:Limit of Detection; D011174:Portugal; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D014507:Urbanization; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical