Estrogen &

Estradiol
Water Quality Report
Environmental Monitoring
14 March 2013
Winona Drouin
Objective
 Introduction
 Physical & Chemical Characteristics
 Method of Analysis
 Behaviour in the Environment
 Regulatory Environment
 Use in Society
 Activity in the Ecosystem
 Disposal & Treatment
 Human Health and Safety
 Summary
Introduction
 Contamination
from a synthetic
form of estrogen
 Affecting aquatic
populations,
primarily fish
 Caused by
leeching of
municipal
wastewaters (K Factor Filter, 2013)

 Feminization of fish
(chronic exposure)
(Kidd et al, 2007)
Physical & Chemical Characteristics
 Steroid compound (female sex), which aids and supports the
hormones involved in fertility
 The synthetic form of estrogen used for contraception contains
ethinyl estradiol(C20H24O2) and a progestin (C21H30O2)
(National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2011)

(Hoffmeier, 2007)

 Melting Point = 178-179 °C (United States Department of Labour, 2010)

 Relatively low solubility at 4.8-11.3 mg L-1 at 27 °C
 Relatively high octanol-water partitioning coefficient (Kow =3.67 –
4.2) = persistent and attach to organic matter
(Nagpal & Meays, 2009)
Methods of Analysis
 Challenges in
determining Gobio gobio. Member of Cyprinidae Family

concentration levels in
the field
 Effects of estrogen on
sexual development is
obtained through fish
mortality sampling
 Smaller fish such as
Cyprinidae are most
susceptible, whereas
Salmon exhibit
macroscopic qualities
 Extremely low (Arukwe, 2003)

concentrations – difficult
to analyze
Methods of Analysis
 Derivitazation agent (dansyl chloride) can be used
 Modifies the structure of the molecule to increase
ionization efficiency levels
 Can now be measured because of the increased
molecular bonding- more detectable by Tandem Mass
Spectrophotometry
 High, impractical costs

(Hoffman, 1996)

(Lin et al, 2007)

Behaviour in the Environment
 Effects the endocrine (hormonal) systems
of wildlife
 Higher demand of steroidal estrogen in
developed countries = higher
contamination
 Pharmaceutical steroids contraceptive in
pill form – once processed through the
human body, it is excreted in the form of
urine and fecal matter
 Primary source = pharmaceuticals,
personal care products and hormones
leeching into water systems
 Secondary source = agricultural and
industrial waste water (soy, dairy
products)
(FlickRiver, 2013)
 Sewage plants have yet to remove
estrogen
 Estrogen attaches itself to sediments and
soils which can be transferred through
waterbodies
(Dery, 2012)
Regulatory Environment
 Low concentrations (ppt), chronic effects
 Little regulations regarding input levels and methods of
treatment
 Environment Canada
 National Water Research Institute and Wastewater Technology
Centre studied municipal effluents regarding estrogen within
ecosystems
 Results showed feminization of fish directly related to synthetic
estrogens
 Low concentrations, “does not require immediate attention”

(Environment Canada, 2012)

(McAvoy, 2008)
Use in Society
 Birth control =
contraceptive
 Estrogen pill
introduced in 1960’s to
control increasing
population
 Prevents ovulation
 “Tricks” the female
body into thinking egg
is already fertilized (YinOva, 2012)

 Low-dose (<50
micrograms)

(Colton, 2012)
Activity in the Environment
 Estrogen has disrupted the process of reproduction by
acting as “false messengers” which tell the endocrine
system to produce hormones involved with fertility
 Male fish swim downstream from contaminated area
 Contamination through gills, skin and oral
 Vitellogenin (VTG)is a hormone produced by females
during sexual maturity. Causes eggs to produce in
ovaries
 Exposed males will produce VTG in the liver; will then
accumulate in the plasma of the blood
 Causes early stage eggs within the testes
 COMPLETE DISRUPTION TO MALE REPRODUCTIVE
SYSTEM!

(Tyler, 2008)
Rutilus rutilus.

(Tyler, 2008)
 (Kraft et al, 2006)

 Study conducted by Kidd et al. (2007)

 Involved Fathead Minnow (Pimephales
promelas)
 Showed chronic exposure of concentrations of
5-6 ng/L of estrogen contributed to production
of VTG
 Gonadal development severely altered,
reproductive success rate displayed a near
extinction
(Kidd et al, 2007)
Disposal and Treatment
 Main route of
contamination is through
excretion of human waste
 Municipal wastewater
treatment facilities
cannot filter out forms of
estrogen
 Process involved
coagulation (rapid mixing
through sedimentation)
with a powdered
activated carbon, was
found to be the most
practical method in
decreasing estrogen in (Ramezani Trading, 2008)
drinking water reducing
estrogen levels from 20-
80%
(Schenck et al, 2012)
Human Health Effects
 Estrogen in drinking
water could potentially
disrupt reproductive
organs in all humans
 Fetal exposure,
decreased male fertility
and testicular
carcinoma
 Possibly lead to breast
cancer
(Village Voice, 2011)

(Wright-Walters, 2012)
 Wildlife Health Effects
 Feminization of aquatic
species
 Could potentially affect
semi-aquatic/terrestrial
wildlife
 Other wildlife have
been demonstrating
feminization (Boozekin, 2013)

 Alligatoridae in Florida

(Wright-Walters, 2012)
Summary
 http://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=UKhgg6TuFrc
 Introduction
 Physical Chemical
Characteristics
 Method of Analysis
 Behaviour in the Environment
 Regulatory Environment
 Use in Society
 Activity in the Ecosystem
 Disposal & Treatment (Mackinnon, 2007)
 Human Health and Safety

QUESTIONS?
 References
Arukwe et al. 2003. [Online]. Eggshell and Egg Yolk Proteins in Fish: Hepatic Proteins for the Next Generation: Oogenetic, population, and
Evolutionary Implications of Endocrine Disruption . Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research. Accessed on 12 March 2013. Available from:
http://openi.nlm.nih.gov/detailedresult.php?img=153486_1476-5926-2-4-8&req=4

Boozekin Wordpress. 2013. [Online]. Grizzly Bear Image. Accessed on 12 March 2013. Available from: http://boozekin.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/i-
have-discovered-the-perfect-healthy-food-for-people-that-are-trying-to-stop-being-unhealthy-but-also-dont-want-to-put-effort-into-cooking-
cleaning-up/

Dery. 2012. [Online]. Troubled Waters: Removing Estrogen from Our Water Supply. Accessed on 13 November 2012. Available from:
www.scientiareview.org/pdfs/169.pdf

FlickRiver. 2013. [Online]. Ontario Stream Images. Accessed on 12 March 2013. Available from:
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/49656291@N00/tags/ontario/

Hoffman. 1996. [Online]. Tandem Mass Spectrometry Image. Accessed on 12 March 2013 Available from:
http://www.cs.sunysb.edu/~skiena/648/presentations/massspec/tandem.JPG

Hoffmeier. 2007. [Online]. Wikipedia Image: Ethinyl Estradiol. Accessed on 12 March 2013. Available from:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ethinylestradiol.png

K Factor Filter. 2013. [Online]. Wastewater Filtration Information. Accessed on 12 March 2013. Available from:
http://www.kfactorfilter.com/industries/PulpAndPaper/WasteWater/default.aspx

Kidd et al. 2007. Collapse of a Fish Population after Exposure to a Synthetic Estrogen. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the
United States of America. Volume 104. Issue 21. Pages: 8897-8901.

Kraft et al. 2006. [Online]. Inland Fishes of New York. Department of Natural Resources. University of Cornell. Accessed on 12 March 2013. Available
from: http://fish.dnr.cornell.edu/nyfish/fish.html

Lin et al. 2007. Analysis of Steroid Estrogens in Water Using Liquid Chromotography/ Tandem Mass Spectrometry with Chemical Derivatizations.
Institute of Environmental Health. Vol 104 (21). pp. 1973-1983.
Mackinnon. 2007. [Online]. Artizans Artworks. Accessed on 12 March 2013. Available from: http://www.artizans.com/image/MAC1421/estrogen-in-
lakes-feminizes-fish/

McAvoy. 2008. [Online]. Occurance of Estrogen in Wasterwater Treatment Plants and Waste Disposal Site Water Samples. Accessed on 13
November 2012. Available from: www.nywea.org/clearwaters/08-3-fall/05-EstrogenInWastewater.pdf
 References
Nagpal & Meays. 2009. Water Quality Guidelines for Pharmaceutically Active Compounds: Ethynl Estradiol. Ministry of
Environment . Province of British Columbia. Science and Information Branch. Water Stewardship Division.

Ramezani Trading. 2008. [Online]. Coaguluation Image. Accessed on 12 March 2013. Available from:
http://www.ramezanitrading.com/serv01.htm

Schenek et al. 2012. Removal of Estrogens and Estrogenicity Through Drinking Water Treatment . Journal of Water and Health.
Vol (10). pp. 43-55.

Tyler. 2008. [Online]. Roach, Sex and Gender-Bending Chemicals: the Feminization of Wild Fish in English Rivers. Bioscience. Vol 58
(11). pp. 1051-1059.

United States Department of Labour. 2010. [Online]. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Sampling and Analytical
Methods: Estradiol. Accessed on 12 March 2013. Available from:
http://www.osha.gov/dts/sltc/methods/partial/pv2001/2001.html

Village Voice. 2011. [Online]. Tap Water Image. Accessed on 13 March 2013. Available from:
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/07/new_york_citys_4.php

Vine et al. 2005.Endocrine (Sexual) Disruption is Not a Prominent Feature in the Pike, Top Predator in English Waters.
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Vol 24(6). pp. 1436-1443.

Wright-Walters. 2012. [Online]. Municipal Wastewater Concentrations of Pharmaceutical and Xeno-Estrogens: Wildlife and
Health Human Implications. Accessed 13 November 2012. Available from:
www.chec.pitt.edu/Exposure_concentration_of_Xenoestrogen_in_pharmaceutical_and_Municipal_Wastewater_Final8-28-
07[1].pdf

Yinova Centre. 2012. [Online]. Birth Control Image. Accessed on 13 March 2013. Available from:
http://yinovacenter.com/blog/archives/11189/