Endocrine disruptors in the Leça River and nearby Porto Coast (NW Portugal): presence of estrogenic compounds and hypoxic conditions

Abstract

The Leça River and two beaches close to the north and south margins of the estuary, nowadays an important seaport harbor, show signs of contamination. However, the chemical nature of that contamination is uncertain. Therefore, this study checked for the presence of 11 endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) of animal (17β-estradiol and estrone), pharmaceutical (17α-ethynylestradiol), and industrial (alkylphenols, alkylphenol ethoxylates, and bisphenol A) origins in water samples collected from six points at the river gradient and at two sites in the coastline (Atlantic Ocean). Along with the EDCs, evaluated by gas chromatography – mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) during spring, summer, and autumn, physico-chemical parameters were also assessed and particular attention was given to dissolved oxygen (DO) levels. Data showed the presence of high amounts of estrogens (up to 10 ng L⁻¹ for estrone) and industrial compounds (up to 2 µg L⁻¹ for the nonylphenol ethoxylates) at both river and seacoast. Along with this, clear signs of hypoxia were found in the river (DO < 3 mg L⁻¹ at several sampling sites). Taking into account these issues, it was concluded that there are local conditions for the occurrence of endocrine disruption in aquatic animals.

Keywords:

• estrogens
• alkylphenols
• alkylphenol ethoxylates
• bisphenol A
• endocrine disruptors

Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by FEDER funds through the Competitiveness and Trade Expansion Program (COMPETE) and by National Funds, both provided via Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), project PTDC/MAR/70436/2006. It was further supported by CESPU (research project 2 F/02/2006/CESPU).