Pilot study of global endocrine disrupting activity in Iowa public drinking water utilities using cell-based assays

Abstract

Some anthropogenic substances in drinking water are known or suspected endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), but EDCs are not routinely measured. We conducted a pilot study of 10 public drinking water utilities in Iowa, where common contaminants (e.g., pesticides) are suspected EDCs. Raw (untreated) and finished (treated) drinking water samples were collected in spring and fall and concentrated using solid phase extraction. We assessed multiple endocrine disrupting activities using novel mammalian cell-based assays that express nuclear steroid receptors (aryl hydrocarbon [AhR], androgenic [AR], thyroid [TR], estrogenic [ER] and glucocorticoid [GR]). We quantified each receptor's activation relative to negative controls and compared activity by season and utility/sample characteristics. Among 62 samples, 69% had AhR, 52% AR, 3% TR, 2% ER, and 0% GR activity. AhR and AR activities were detected more frequently in spring (p = 0 .002 and < 0.001, respectively). AR activity was more common in

Glass-bottled drinking water: a time capsule to study the historic presence of hazardous chemicals using effect-based methods

“…Hence, inactive samples have a BEQ value lower than 29 pg DHTeq/L. Escher et al [27] reported no androgenic activity in Australian drinking water sample while Jones et al [28] report that 40% of samples of finished drinking water collected in Iowa, US, showed androgenic activity at REF 200. We have previously reported no androgenic activity in different Swedish drinking water samples [9,22].…”

“…Of seven Swedish drinking water treatment plants with induced AhR activity in raw water, four had reduced activity in finished water and none had activities above EC 10 at REF 50 [9]. In a screening study of 10 drinking water plants in Iowa, Jones et al [28] found AhR activity in 67% of the finished water samples at REF 200. In an evaluation study of various bioassays, Escher et al [27] reported an EC 10 value of 8.6 REF for AhR activity in a drinking water sample from metropolitan Australia.…”

Assessment of Xenoestrogens in Jordanian Water System: Activity and Identification

“…More sensitive screening methods have recently been developed, which can detect levels as low as 14.7 pg/L of estrogen equivalents [ 129 ]. Estrogenic-disrupting substances have been found in drinking water all around the world [ 99 ], including the USA [ 130 ], Germany [ 131 , 132 ], India [ 133 , 134 ], Italy [ 132 ], Sweden [ 54 , 135 ], France [ 132 ] and Spain [ 136 ]. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA), the estrogenic risk is significant when the estrogenic activity is greater than 1 ng/L [ 137 ].…”

Opinion: Why Should We Care about Endocrine Disruptors?

“…A largely unexplored issue is the combined effect of a mixture of EDCs detected in the same sample. Many water sites have several EDCs that interact with glucocorticoid, estrogen, progesterone, thyroid, aryl hydrocarbon and other nuclear receptors [35,52,[60][61][62][63]. The combinations further modify the biological outcomes as these mixtures are likely to have unexplored effects on target tissues [4,64].…”