Occurrence of emerging contaminants and analysis of oestrogenic activity in the water and sediments from two coastal lagoons in south-eastern Brazil

Abstract

There is increasing concern in the scientific community regarding emerging contaminants in aquatic matrices because of the potential effects of these contaminants on aquatic biota. In recent decades, the Itaipu–Piratininga lagoon system has suffered a series of environmental impacts, among which water pollution stands out. In this context, the aim of this study was to analyse the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupters in water (dissolved and particulate phases) and in surface sediments, and their potential oestrogenic effects. Contaminant concentrations were determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, whereas oestrogenic activity was evaluated using the yeast oestrogen screen assay. Of the 12 compounds analysed, concentrations of gemfibrozil, acetaminophen and diclofenac were below the limit of detection. The compounds with the highest detection frequency in the water were bisphenol A>4-octylphenol>naproxen>oestradiol, whereas in the sediment were bisphenol A>naproxen>oestradiol. Higher pharmaceutical concentrations and numbers of microcontaminants were observed in August 2017 (winter), which can be explained by the lower dilution and degradation capacity of these compounds during winter. Oestrogenic activity was observed in at least one of the three matrices (i.e. water (dissolved and particulate phases) and surface sediments) at all sampling stations and in both sampling campaigns (January and August 2017). Combined with data in the literature data, the results of this study indicate probable adverse effects of contaminants on aquatic organisms of this lagoon system.

Embarcações abandonadas na Baía de Guanabara e suas implicações ambientais

“…Desreguladores endócrinos detectados nas águas e nos sedimentos da Baía de Guanabara sinalizam graves riscos à biota e à saúde humana (Viganò et al, 2008;Nascimento et al, 2018;Cunha et al, 2020;Santos et al, 2022). No rio Maracanã e no Canal do Mangue, afl uentes da baía, a presença de desreguladores endócrinos corroboram para potenciais riscos a animais, humanos e ao ambiente por carreamento .…”

Chemical and Biological Indicators of Environmental Pollution in the Canal do Cunha (Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil): Analysis and Determination of Toxins

“…Although mandatory, basic sanitation services in Brazil do not reach all people and places, with access to sanitation often irregular or even absent (Guimarães, Malheiros, and Marques, 2016). Thus, different pollutants can be found in environmental matrices in underdeveloped countries (Cunha et al ., 2020; Kilunga et al ., 2017). Exposure of humans to pollutants that circulate and accumulate in soil, air and water, compromising the human food chain, is a constant public health concern (Prüss-Üstün and Corvalán, 2006).…”

Estrogenic Activity and Endocrine Disruptor Compounds Determined in Guanabara Bay (Brazil) by Yeast Estrogen Screen Assays and Chemical Analyses

“…In surface waters of the Guandu River, in Rio de Janeiro, results ranged from 0 to 16 ng L -1 , which, after filtering through 1.2 μm membranes, ranged from 0 to 3.1 ng L -1 (Dias et al 2015). Recently, a study carried out in different environmental matrices, in two lagoons near Guanabara Bay, reported high estrogenic activity in suspended particulate matter and surface water, 67.06 ng L -1 and 70.39 ng L -1 , respectively (Cunha et al 2020). According to the same authors, untreated domestic wastewater contains high concentrations of estrogenic compounds (both natural estrogens and synthetic) and, consequently, high estrogenic activities (Cunha et al 2020).…”

“…Micropollutants have been reported in several different environmental matrices (Cunha et al 2020;Ismail et al 2019;Shi et al 2014), due to the various point and diffuse sources such as domestic and industrial effluents, solid waste, sewage sludge drainage, animal manure, leachate, landfills, among others (Chi et al 2016;Huang, Karu & Campos 2021). According to Porseryd et al (2017) and Abdel-Khalek (2018), exposure to micropollutants as endocrine disruptors lead to several adverse effects for a variety of species, such as reduced egg hatching, reproductive system issues, and immune system alterations in reptiles, birds, mammals, and fish (Li et al 2019;Ismail et al 2019).…”