Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs): chemical fate, distribution, analytical methods and promising remediation strategies – a critical review

ABSTRACT

Growing population, increasing industrial and agricultural activities have resulted in the exponential release of high concern emerging pollutants into the environment, categorized under endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The hydrophobic and lipophilic properties of these persisting EDCs comprising of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, surfactants, several industrial chemicals result in generation of complexes with soil organic matter favoring their bioaccumulation via food chain. At each trophic level, these cause negative reproductive, developmental, and neurological impacts in both humans and animals even at low concentrations of ng/L to μg/L. In soil, these impose ecotoxicological effects on soil organisms, reduce microbial activity and change the soil’s physio-chemical properties. The present review provides an insight about its chemical fate in the environment with respect to their physiochemical properties, mechanisms and corresponding impacts in ecosystems. To mitigate EDCs, various regulatory frameworks designed around the globe have also been highlighted. Due to the unambiguous identification of EDCs structures and their amounts, the focus of this review has been also directed on the development of various analytical methods for their precise determination. Further, this review highlights the various physical and chemical methods for their removal with main focus towards the use of eco-friendly cost–effective approaches as phytoremediation, microbial remediation using bacteria, algae, yeasts, fungi and enzymatic remediation using ligninolytic enzyme systems of white rot fungi (WRF), generating no or minimum secondary pollutants. The prospects of immobilized microbes and enzymes on suitable nano supports to enhance their sensitivity against negative environmental factors, have also been summarized.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• EDCs
• aerobic & anaerobic degradation
• analytical & remediation methods

Acknowledgements

The review has been conceptualized by MC, SJ under the supervision of corresponding author SS. They are grateful for the suggestions and corrections made by RDG and SP.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a grant provided by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Govt. of India under a project file no CRG/2020/001960 and Indian Council of Medical Research, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India under a project Id 2021-11340-F1.

Notes on contributors

Mridula Chaturvedi

Mridula Chaturvedi (First author) Mridula Chaturvedi currently is ICMR SRF and is pursuing Ph.D. from Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University. Mridula is currently working on the Degradation of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals by White rot fungi and their lignin-modifying enzymes. She is also working on the adsorption of EDCs by different matrices. Her area of interest is microbiology and enzyme technology.

Sam Joy

Dr Sam Joy completed his PhD from Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University. Noida India. He is currently working as a Scientist-C at Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi. His area of expertise is bacterial bio-products and bioprocess technology. His doctoral research resulted in the first-ever report of “Rhamnolipid Glycolipid” production from Achromobacter Sp using lignocellulosic feedstock. Prior to his PhD, he worked at the Biofuel Department of the Corporate Research and Development Centre of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) where he was engaged with the group working on the second-generation lignocellulosic biofuels (bioethanol and biobutanol).

Rinkoo Devi Gupta

Dr Rinkoo Devi Gupta is an academic researcher from South Asian University. The author has contributed to research in topic(s): Plasmodium falciparum & Epitope. The author has an h index of 17, co-authored 45 publication(s) receiving 1174 citation(s). Previous affiliations of Rinkoo D. Gupta include Council of Scientific and Industrial Research & Weizmann Institute of Science.

Sangeeta Pandey

Dr Sangeeta Pandey currently works at the Amity Institute of Organic Agriculture, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, and Noida. Dr. Sangeeta does research in Microbiology and Biotechnology.

Shashi Sharma

Dr Shashi Sharma works as an Associate Professor in Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University. She has: 1. Optimized the production and recovery strategy of Biosurfactants produced from hydrocarbondegrading bacteria isolated from different sections of refineries of India. Production was also successfully achieved in 6L bioreactor using lignocellulosic hydrolysate containing C6 sugars. The biosurfactants were characterized as glycolipid and lipopeptide using TLC, FTIR, LCMS/MS. The potential of microbially produced glycolipid biosurfactant was observed to show broad antimicrobial activity and also showed immense potential for oil recovery. 2. Studied on the biotransformation of endocrine disrupting chemicals - Bisphenol A & Triclosan using isolated white rot fungus and its lignin modifying enzymes. The putative degradation pathways have been deciphered. The degradation of Bisphenol A/ Triclosan has been studied using sole fungus and also by using immobilized fungus and its lignin modifying enzymes. 3. Enhanced bioremediation of pesticide contaminated soil of Punjab is being studied using bacteria having potential for pesticide degrading, biosurfactant producing with plant growth promotion traits 4. She is also working on degradation E-waste and bioplastics.