title: The removal of estrogenic activity with UV/chlorine technology and identification of novel estrogenic disinfection by-products.
abstract: As a recently developed disinfection technology, ultraviolet (UV)/chlorine treatment has received much attention. Many studies have evaluated its effects on pathogen inactivation, contaminant removal, and formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs), but its potential for environmental estrogen removal and estrogenic DBP generation, which can also be a risk to both ecosystem and human health, have not been evaluated. In this study, UV/chlorine treatment resulted in a greater removal of estrogenic activity in synthetic effluent samples containing 17β-estradiol (E2) than did UV or chlorine treatment alone regardless of the water quality. For both the UV/chlorine and chlorine treatments, there was significant interference from NH3-N, although the UV/chlorine treatment was less affected. Estrogen receptor based affinity chromatography was used to isolate the specific estrogenic DBPs, and a novel product, with high estrogenic activity compared to E2, Δ9(11)-dehydro-estradiol, was identified. It was generated by all three treatments, and might be previously mistakenly recognized as estrone (E1). This study demonstrated that UV/chlorine is a better treatment for the removal of 17β-estradiol than chlorine and UV alone. The new identified estrogenic DBP, Δ9(11)-dehydro-estradiol, which can be isolated by affinity chromatography, could be an emerging concern in the future.
authors.affiliation: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Man
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Bi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Zhiqi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liungai
authors.affiliation: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Ying
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. Electronic address: qjuan@tsinghua.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qiao
authors.affiliation: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. Electronic address: luyun@tsinghua.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D002713:Chlorine / Q000737:chemistry*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000737:chemistry / Q000528:radiation effects; D004967:Estrogens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000528:radiation effects; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry / Q000528:radiation effects; D018508:Water Purification
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002713:Chlorine; D004958:Estradiol
keywords: 17β-Estradiol; 9(11)-Dehydro-estradiol; Affinity chromatography; Disinfection by-product; Estrogenic activity