Abstract
The purpose of this study is the development of method for synthetically evaluating multiple estrogen-like compounds, present in river water and their effects on organisms. This paper explains an improved analytical method for quantifying the estrogen-like compounds. The present analytical method using LC/MS/MS is very simple and has a detection limit of 1 ppt for all the chemicals analyzed. The estrogen-like compounds present in the river water samples collected from Matsuyama, Japan were also quantified using this method. The estrogen like compounds, estrone (El), 17 β-estradiol (β-E2), estradiol-3-sulfate (E2-3S) and estrone-3-sulfate (E1-3S) were detected in the river water samples analyzed. The levels of these compounds are as follows: E1: n.d. to 24, β-E2: n.d. to 2.2, E2-3S: n.d. to 0.6 and El-3S: 0. 3 to 4. 1 ng/l. Bisphenols and alkylphenols such as bisphenol A (BPA: n.d. to 240 ng/l), 4-tent-octylphenol (4-tert-OP: 13 to 410 ng/l) and 4-nonylphenol (4-NP: 170 to 2800 ng/l) were also detected. These results show the presence of these man-made chemicals in considerably higher quantities in the river waters of Matsuyama, Japan, which can cause deleterious effects on organisms living there. The possible estrogenic action by these compounds on the organisms may be of great concern in future, indicating the necessity of continuous evaluation of these compounds and their estrogenic action in the organisms living in the rivers of the present study area and their ambient environment.
