Estrogenicity and cytotoxicity of sediments and water from the drinkwater source-basin of Montevideo city, Uruguay

Abstract

Frequently new pollutants are released into the environment, demanding the employment of generic methods to detect toxic responses. In vitro bioassays such as the yeast estrogenicity screening (YES) allow detecting estrogenic and citotoxic compounds avoiding the employment of invasive methods. We determined the cytotoxicity and estrogenic activity in sediments of the Santa Lucia River Basin (Uruguay) using YES assay and the association with land uses and parameters of water quality and sediment. Water quality parameters confirm the eutrophication process of the Santa Lucía River, which was mainly reflected by high levels of TP and ammonium. High values of estrogenic activity in sediments (E2-EQ 8.49 ng g -1 of sediment) were found mainly in urbanized and cultivated areas. However, estrogenicity and cytotoxicity also was found in sites associated with other land uses such as rangelands. These data provide evidence that Santa Lucía River basin contains a variety of chemicals (including estrogenic and toxic chemicals of unknown and potentially diverse sources) that should be investigated further. YES assay proved to be a useful tool for characterizing estrogenic responses, and due to the human and ecological health importance, we suggest the employment of these kinds of bioassays as tools for environmental monitoring of EDCs substances.

Estrogenic activity and acute toxicity assessments of sediments from a chronically polluted estuarine area in southeastern Brazil

“…The estrogenic activities detected herein for Guanabara Bay sediments were close to those reported at the Santa Lucia Basin, ranging from non‐detected (ND) to 8.49 ngg −1 (Griffero et al., 2018), corroborating the relationship between estrogenicity and urban‐industrial land use postulated by those authors and other literature assessments (Griffero et al., 2018; Maloney et al., 2023). Studies in other countries have reported variable values, such as in samples from the Rhine River in Germany, which ranged from 1.03 to 5.14 ng g −1 (Schulze‐Sylvester et al., 2016).…”

“…The estrogenic activities detected herein for Guanabara Bay sediments were close to those reported at the Santa Lucia Basin, ranging from non-detected (ND) to 8.49 ngg −1 (Griffero et al, 2018), activity in sediments from five sampling stations at Tokyo Bay, indicating the highest estrogenic activity of 84.3 ng g −1 near a wastewater treatment plant. The highly variable detections observed in Guanabara Bay sediment samples were also noted at Maluan Bay, (Wang et al, 2015), which may be associated with issues here in to complex environmental matrices, influenced by different contamination mechanisms, as well as such as estrogenic compound circulation, redistribution, and deposition and tidal hydrodynamics, among others (Wang et al, 2015) Analyzing sediments from Guanabara Bay is a very complex task, due to the influence of frontal systems and the speed of tidal currents that generate turbulence, resulting from the local bathymetry and the narrowing Bay entrance, which can influence the response of each collected point (Kjerfve et al, 1997;JICA, 1994).…”

“…between estrogenicity and urbanindustrial land use postulated by those authors and other literature assessments(Griffero et al, 2018;Maloney et al, 2023). Studies in other countries have reported variable values, such as in samples from the Rhine River in Germany, which ranged from 1.03 to 5.14 ng g −1(Schulze-Sylvester et al, 2016).…”

“…A total of 100 g of each sediment sample were separated in 250 mL beakers containing deionized water. The pH values were measured at the beginning and after 24 h and the suspensions were left in an oven between 50 • C and 65 • C until complete drying (approximately 24 h) and maintained in a desiccator until preparation (Griffero et al, 2018). Aliquots (2 g) were separated from each sample and mixed with 15 mL methanol (HPLC grade, Tedia®).…”

Atividade estrogênica de desreguladores endócrinos em águas superficiais do município de Santa Maria Madalena, Sudeste do Brasil

“…Mais recentemente, verificou-se a estrogenicidade em diversos rios da China, e observaram-se baixas e altas concentrações, com valores que variaram de 0,01 a 40,27 ng.L -1 em águas superficiais (YAO et al, 2018). E no Uruguai, segundo o estudo realizado por Griffero et al (2018) na matriz aquática do rio Santa Lucía, observou-se um EQ-E2 de 2,4 ng.L -1 em apenas um dos três pontos analisados, no mês de janeiro.…”