Estrogenic Wastewater Treatment Works Effluents Reduce Egg Production in Fish

Abstract

Estrogenic chemicals found within wastewater treatment work (WwTW) effluents have been shown individually to inhibit reproduction in fish, but the impact of the WwTW effluents themselves and the complex mixtures of environmental estrogens and other endocrine disrupting chemicals they contain has not been established. In this investigation, the effect of exposure to three WwTW effluents, with differing levels of estrogenic activity, was assessed on egg production in pair-breeding fathead minnow. Exposure to two of the three effluents tested resulted in a reduced egg production (by 28% for effluent I at a dilution of 50% and by 44% for effluent III at full strength), which was proportional to the estrogenic content of the effluents. The test effluents, however, had a greater effect on egg production than might be expected, on the basis of both the response they induced for induction of vitellogenin (an estrogen exposure biomarker) and when compared with an equivalent estrogen exposure to EE2. These data show that reliance on relatively simple biomarker responses for estrogenic activity alone, such as vitellogenin, can significantly underestimate the impacts of estrogenic WwTW effluents on fitness parameters such as reproductive health that are regulated by more complex estrogenic (and other endocrine) signaling mechanisms.

Removal of 17β-estradiol by few-layered graphene oxide nanosheets from aqueous solutions: External influence and adsorption mechanism

“…17b-Estradiol (E2), the major and most potent form of natural estrogens, has been identified as the unique environmental concern among EDCs because they are capable of triggering negative responses in aquatic organisms at low concentrations [3]. The adverse effect of E2 on aquatic organisms, including fish egg production inhibition and sex reversal of males, ultimately could result in the collapse of local fish populations [4]. Therefore, it is urgent to put forward some rational and feasible suggestions for E2 pollution control.…”

Modeling Bioaugmentation Potential for Enhanced Bisphenol A Removal During Wastewater Treatment

“…These contaminants include chemicals from pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP) that enter wastewater through normal household use (Yang 2011;Paxeus 2004;Duong 2010). Many of these chemicals are endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC), which are suspected to interfere with reproduction and survival of aquatic fish and amphibians (Thorpe 2009;Metcalfe 2001;Burkhardt-Holm 2008).…”

Sharing the Roles: An Assessment of Japanese Medaka Estrogen Receptors in Vitellogenin Induction

“…8–11 Continuous exposure to estrogenic contaminants may result in feminization and/or demasculinization within teleost populations, which may be linked to decreased reproductive output, compromised immunity, altered sex ratios, and ultimately population collapse. 12–17 Given the potential risk to population, community and ecosystem sustainability, it is critical to gain a better understanding of the molecular initiating events (MIE) leading to adverse effects following exposure to estrogenic EACs.…”