Estrogenic Activity and Steroid Hormones in Swine Wastewater through a Lagoon Constructed-Wetland System

Abstract

Anaerobic lagoons and treatment wetlands are used worldwide to treat wastewater from dense livestock production facilities; however, there is very limited data on the hormonal activity of the wastewater effluent produced by these treatment systems. The objectives of this experiment were to measure (1) the hormonal activity of the initial effluent and (2) the effectiveness of a lagoon-constructed wetland treatment system for producing an effluent with a low hormonal activity. Wastewater samples were taken in April, July, and November 2004 and July 2005 from a lagoon-constructed wetland system at a swine farrowing facility. Estrogenic activity (in vitro E-screen assay), 17 beta-estradiol (E2), and testosterone concentrations (LC/MS-MS) were measured. A high correlation was found between estradiol equivalents determined by E-screen and LC/MS-MS (R2 = 0.82). Nutrient removal was measured to ensure that the wetlands were functioning in a manner similar to literature reports. Nutrient removals were typical for treatment wetlands: TKN 59-75% and orthophosphate 0-18%. Wetlands decreased estrogenic activity by 83-93%. Estrone was the most persistent estrogenic compound. Constructed wetlands produced effluents with estrogenic activity below the lowest equivalent E2 concentration known to have an effect on fish (10 ng/L or approximately 37 x 10(-12) M).

Current knowledge on the environmental fate, potential impact, and management of growth-promoting steroids used in the US beef cattle industry

“…Using radio-labeled testosterone, they found 49% to 68% mineralization to carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) within 8 days of incubation. Shappell et al (2007) found that a lagoon-constructed wetland system at a swine farrowing facility decreased estrogenic activity by 83% to 93% and the effluent concentration of estrogen was less than 10 ng L -1 (10 ppt). Fahrbach et al (2010) showed degradation of testosterone by Steroidobacter denitrificans under anaero-bic conditions, which can prevail in storage lagoons.…”

Contaminantes emergentes em matrizes aquáticas do Brasil: cenário atual e aspectos analíticos, ecotoxicológicos e regulatórios

“…Esses bioensaios podem empregar diferentes mecanismos de detecção incluindo: proliferação de células; LBA (do inglês, Ligand Binding Assay); indução de vitelogenina, proteína produzida no fígado de peixe fêmea em resposta aos estrógenos, que pode ser extraída do plasma e quantificada (a produção de vitelogenina em organismos machos é um indicativo de interferência endócrina que tem sido explorado em diversos estudos); 70,123,141,148 indução de luciferase (termo genérico empregado para diferentes enzimas oxidativas que produzem bioluminescência durante a reação enzimática) e interações antígeno-anticorpo como os bioensaios YES (do inglês, Yeast Estrogen Screen), 194 BLYES (do inglês, BioLuminesce Yeast Estrogen Screening), CALUX (do inglês, Chemical Activated LUciferase gene eXpression). 123 O bioensaio denominado YES, desenvolvido por Routledge e Sumpter em 1996, 194 vem sendo largamente utilizado para a avaliação da atividade estrogênica 195 de amostras ambientais tais como efluentes de ETE, [196][197][198][199] águas superficiais 9,51,93,200 e água tratada, 19,20 bem como para avaliar a eficiência de diferentes tipos de tratamento de efluentes. 196,[201][202][203] No Brasil, Sanchez confirmou a indução de vitelogenina por E2 e EE2 em peixes machos (Rhamdia quelen) nativos da região do Paraná.…”

Removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products from wastewater using algae-based technologies: a review

“…Wastewater from intensive animal farming is usually treated in treatment lagoons or constructed wetlands. Incomplete removal of many veterinary pharmaceuticals and steroid hormones has also been reported (Carvalho et al 2013;Kolz et al 2005;Liu et al 2015;Shappell et al 2007). Additionally, animal manures are commonly land applied as fertilizers in crop fields.…”