The occurrence of selected endocrine‐disrupting chemicals in water and sediments from an urban lagoon in Southern Italy

Abstract

Endocrine‐disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are agents able to exert perturbation toward the endocrine system via a broad array of signalling pathways. Some EDCs are released into the environment as a result of antropogenic activities. Analytical surveillance plays a critical role in investigating the prevalence of such chemicals in environmental samples. A study was carried out in a lagoon in Southern Italy, a water basin relates to the sea through a mouth channel, making this water body a “dynamic environment”. The screening of fourteen EDCs in surface waters and sediments, includes a fast and cost‐effective sample preparation, based on a solid–liquid (sediments) and liquid–liquid (surface waters) extraction and a chromatographic analysis by liquid chromatography tandem UV and fluorescence detection. Only four chemicals out the fourteen investigated EDCs were detected in both matrices with a frequency higher than 60%. The average concentrations of the single EDC were higher in sediments (730–155.000 ng kg−1 dw) than in surface waters (132–28.000 ng L−1). Limited to the assayed EDCs, the ecosystem has a low risk regarding to the conservation of biodiversity of the animal species living thereby, since the total estrogenic activity does not exceed 1 ng L−1. Practitioner points Occurrence of selected EDCs was investigated in an Italian lagoon in Southern Italy. BPAF, BADGE, and BPA were the most frequently and highly detected compounds in both waters and sediments. Concentration levels were greater in the sediment than in water samples. Low risk for the ecosystem biodiversity concerning investigated EDCs.

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“…A long-term monitoring study based on thousands of samples revealed the presence of BPA, which is one of the most representative EDCs, in freshwater, seawater, freshwater sediments and marine sediments at average levels of 29 ng L − 1 , 7 ng L −1 , 7 ng g −1 and <0.03 ng g −1 , respectively, in Europe, and 5 ng L −1 , 1 ng L −1 , 0.7 ng g −1 and 1 ng g −1 , respectively, in North America [ 22 ]. In a seasonal monitoring of 14 EDCs, including BPA, in a lagoon located in a coastal area of Southern Italy, single EDCs were detected at concentrations ranging from 132 to 28,000 ng L −1 in water and from 0.7 to 155 ng g −1 in sediments [ 23 ]. In effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), BPA has been detected at concentrations up to 370,000 ng L −1 [ 21 ].…”

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