Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Detection of estrogenic activity in Slovenian wastewaters by bioassay

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Central European Journal of Biology

Abstract

Estrogenic activity has been detected in aquatic ecosystems across the world. However, there is a lack of such data for Slovenian wastewaters and surface waters. The Slovenian monitoring program of effluents discharged into surface waters does not require that emissions of natural and synthetic estrogens into aquatic environments be assessed and controlled. In our study, we assessed the potential estrogenicity of wastewater samples from three wastewater treatment plants using a yeast estrogen screen assay (YES assay). Due to the high inhibition of yeast growth in samples obtained during our first sampling period, it was impossible to detect any estrogenic activity. An additional silica gel clean-up step reduced the toxicity of samples collected during our second sampling period; as a result, we were able to record up to 95% relative estrogenic activity inhibition. Deconjugation of the estrogens did not significantly influence our results. We detected estrogenic activity using a YES assay in almost all influent and effluent samples tested, which suggests that the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) examined do not effectively remove (xeno)estrogens from wastewaters. Our results suggest that a YES assay is an appropriate screening method for monitoring estrogenic activity in effluents. However, prediction of the potential impacts of wastewater (xeno)estrogens on aquatic organisms require additional in vitro and in vivo assays.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Campbell C.G., Borglin S.E., Green F.B., Grayson A., Wozei E., Stringfellow W.T., Biologically directed environmental monitoring, fate, and transport of estrogenic endocrine disrupting compounds in water: A review, Chemosphere, 2006, 65, 1265–1280

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Eertmans F., Dhooge W., Stuyvaert S., Comhaire F., Endocrine disruptors: effects on male fertility and screening tools for their assessment, Toxicol. In vitro, 2003, 17, 515–524

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Eggen R.I.L., Bengtsson B.E., Bowmer C.T., Gerritsen A.A.M., Gibert M., Hylland K. et al., Biological and chemical monitoring in the project COMPREHEND, Pure Appl. Chem., 2003, 75, 2445–2450

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Baronti C., Acurini R., D’Ascenzo G., Dicorcia A., Gentili A., Samperi R., Monitoring natural and synthetic estrogens at activated sludge sewage treatment plants and in a receiving river water, Environ. Sci. Technol., 2000, 34, 5059–5066

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Belfroid A.C., Van der Horst A., Vethaak A.D., Schäfer A.J., Rijs G.B.J., Wegener J. et al., Analysis and occurrence of estrogenic hormones and their glucuronides in surface water and waste water in The Netherlands, Sci. Total. Environ., 1999, 225, 101–108

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. D’Ascenzo G., Di Corcia A., Gentili A., Mancini R., Mastropasqua R., Nazzari M. et al., Fate of natural estrogen conjugates in municipal sewage transport and treatment facilities, Sci. Total. Environ., 2003, 302, 199–209

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Körner W., Bolz U., Süßmuth W., Hiller G., Schuller W., Hanf V. et al., Input/output balance of estrogenic active compounds in a major municipal sewage plant in Germany, Chemosphere, 2000, 40, 1131–1142

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Ternes T.A., Stumpf M., Mueller J., Haberer K., Wilken R.D., Servos M., Behavior and occurrence of estrogens in municipal sewage treatment plants- I. Investigations in Germany, Canada and Brazil, Sci. Total. Environ., 1999, 225, 81–90

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Nicolopoulou-Stamati P., Hens L., Howard C.V., Endocrine disrupters, Environmental Health and Policies, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherlands, 2001

    Google Scholar 

  10. Preziosi P., Endocrine disrupters as environmental signallers: an introduction, Pure and Appl. Chem., 1998, 70,9, 1617–1631

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Sumpter J.P., Endocrine disrupters in the aquatic environment: An overview, Acta Hydroch. Hydrob., 2005, 33, 9–16

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Spengler P., Körner W., Metzger J. W., Substances with estrogenic activity in effluents of sewage treatment plants in Southwestern Germany. 1. Chemical analysis, Environ. Toxicol. Chem., 2001, 20, 2133–2141

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Kinnberg K., Evaluation of in vitro assays for determination of estrogenic activity in the environment, Danish Environmental Protection Agency, 2003, http://www2.mst.dk/udgiv/publications/2003/87-7972-922-3/pdf/87-7972-923-1.pdf

  14. Routledge E.J., Sumpter J.P., Estrogenic activity of surfactants and some of their degradation products assessed using a recombinant yeast screen, Environ. Toxicol. Chem., 1996, 15, 241–248

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Fent K., Escher C., Caminada D., Estrogenic activity of pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical mixtures in a yeast reporter gene system, Reprod. Toxicol., 2006, 22, 175–185

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Beck I.C., Bruhn R., Gandrass J., Analysis of estrogenic activity in coastal surface waters of the Baltic Sea using the yeast estrogen screen, Chemosphere, 2006, 63, 1870–1878

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Stuer-Lauridsen F., Kjølholt J., Høibye L., Hinge-Christensen S., Ingerslev F., Hansen M. et al., Survey of Estrogenic Activity in the Danish Aquatic Environment, Danish Environmental Protection Agency, 2005, http://www2.mst.dk/udgiv/publications/2005/87-7614-505-0/pdf/87-7614-506-9.pdf

  18. Johnson A.C., Belfroid A., Di Corcia A., Estimating steroid oestrogen inputs into activated sludge treatment works and observations on their removal from the effluent, Sci. Total Environ., 2000, 256, 163–173

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Nasu M., Goto M., Kato H., Oshima Y., Tanaka H., Study on endocrine disrupting chemicals in wastewater treatment plants, Water Sci. Technol., 2000, 43, 101–108

    Google Scholar 

  20. Desbrow C., Routledge E.J., Brighty G.C., Sumpter J.P., Waldock M., Identification of estrogenic chemicals in STW effluent: 1. Chemical fractionation and in vitro biological screening, Environ. Sci. Technol., 1998, 32, 1549–1558

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Snyder S.A., Keith T.L., Verbrugge D.A., Snyder E.M., Gross T.S., Kannan K., Giesy J.P., Analytical methods for detection of selected estrogenic compounds in aqueous mixtures, Environ. Sci. Technol., 1999, 33, 2814–2820

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Segner H., Navas J.M., Schäfers C., Wenzel A., Potencies of estrogenic compounds in in vitro screening assays and in life cycle tests with zebrafish in vivo, Ecotox. Environ. Safe., 2003, 54, 315–322

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Jobling S., Nolan M., Tyler C.R. Brighty G., Sumpter J.P., Widespread sexual disruption in wild fish, Environ. Sci. Technol., 1998, 32, 2498–2506

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Keiter S., Rastall A., Kosmehl T., Wurm K., Erdinger L., Braunbeck T., et al., Ecotoxicological assessment of sediment, suspended matter and water samples in the Upper Danube river, Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., 2006, 13, 308–319

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Directive 2008/105/EC of the European parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy, L 348/84, Official Journal of the European Union, 2008, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ: L:2008:348:0084:0097:EN:PDF

  26. Ordinance of emission of substances and heat for wastewater discharging from pollution sources, Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, 2007, 45, 6170–6176

    Google Scholar 

  27. Cajthaml T., Křesinova Z., Svobodova K., Moder M., Biodegradation of endocrine-disrupting compounds and suppression of estrogenic activity by ligninolytic fungi, Chemosphere, 2009, 75, 745–750

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Avberšek M., Bergles J., Sollner Dolenc M., Burica O., Stražar M., Šomen J. et al., Steroid estrogens in the Slovenian Environment [Steroidni estrogeni v slovenskem okolju], In: P. Glavič, D. Brodnjak-Vončina (Eds.), Slovenian Chemical Days 2009 (24-25 September 2009, Maribor, Slovenia), Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, 2009, 1–11 (in Slovenian)

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, National Institute of Chemistry, SI-1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Mirjana Bistan & Tatjana Tišler

  2. Department of Animal Science, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI-1230, Domžale, Slovenia

    Romana Marinšek Logar

Authors
  1. Mirjana Bistan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Romana Marinšek Logar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Tatjana Tišler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tatjana Tišler.

About this article

Cite this article

Bistan, M., Logar, R.M. & Tišler, T. Detection of estrogenic activity in Slovenian wastewaters by bioassay. cent.eur.j.biol. 6, 829–837 (2011). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11535-011-0064-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11535-011-0064-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation