Long-Term Study Finds Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Urban Waterways Completed
Scientists Electrofishing on the North Branch of the Chicago River
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists determined that endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) were present in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, water, and fish tissue in urban waterways in the Great Lakes and upper Mississippi River Regions (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio) during 1999 through 2009.
Urban waterways provide critical functions, including water supply, wastewater disposal, transportation, and aquatic habitat. Management of these multiple uses requires an understanding of the sources, fates, and effects of chemical contaminants. There are many potential sources of chemicals to urban waterways including discharges from municipal and industrial WWTPs, inputs from land-surface runoff, and wet and dry atmospheric deposition.
Scientists started with a survey of WWTP effluent and stream water at or near some of the major WWTPs in the regions to understand differences among sites and inputs to urban waterways. A focused investigation of the Greater Metropolitan Chicago Area Waterways, Illinois assessed the movement of EDCs from their source within the WWTP sewer collection system, through the major treatment processes, and into the receiving stream. The approach also included the assessment of fish tissue concentrations and fish endocrine disruption responses to understand corresponding environmental health implications.
Scientists measured alklyphenolic EDCs including surfactant degradation products 4-nonylphenol (NP), 4- nonylphenolpolyethoxylates (NPEO), 4-nonylphenolethoxycarboxylic acid (NPEC), 4-tert-octylphenol (OP), 4-tert-octylphenolpolyethoxylates (OPEO), a plastic component (bisphenol A), and an antimicrobial (triclosan). Other non-EDCs (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid [EDTA] and boron) were measured as tracers of wastewater. Multiple fish species were collected, and their tissues were analyzed for NP, NPEO, NPEC, OP, and OPEO.
This study documented that WWTP effluent discharges can be long-term sources for a diverse group of EDCs that are not removed completely during the treatment process, and once introduced into the receiving stream, the compounds can persist for long distances downstream. All EDCs measured were detected among WWTP effluent samples, with NPEC found most frequently and with the greatest concentrations. The EDCs also were detected in the water and fish tissue of waterways receiving WWTP effluent. Biomarkers of endocrine disruption in fish indicated exposure to EDCs in the WWTP- impacted urban waterways, with a positive correlation between whole-body tissue concentrations of NP and biomarkers of endocrine disruption.
Detailed investigations of the highly engineered Greater Metropolitan Chicago Area Waterways, Illinois, indicated that (1) alkylphenolic EDCs in the sewer systems came from residential, commercial, and industrial sources; (2) although EDCs decreased during wastewater treatment, they were still present in the final WWTP effluent; (3) some EDCs are produced during wastewater treatment as the result of biodegradation of the parent surfactants; and (4) EDCs and other contaminants discharged in the WWTP effluent are transported downstream with little change in concentrations.
Information on contaminants in urban waterways is important to resource managers facing issues including wastewater reclamation and reuse, drinking water quality, aquatic biota health, and impacts of engineering approaches to change flow direction for controlling invasive species.
This research was funded by the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area’s Environmental Health Program (Contaminant Biology and Toxic Substances Hydrology) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Science Team
Sources of Contaminants to Congaree National Park—USGS and National Park Service Working Together
New Study Measures Crop Bactericide, Nitrapyrin, in Iowa Streams
Complex Mixtures, Complex Responses—Using Comprehensive Approaches to Assess Pharmaceutical Effects on Fish
Potential Exposure to Bacteria and Viruses Weeks after Swine Manure Spill
Assessing Environmental Chemical Mixtures in United States Streams
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Persist Downstream from the Source
Biological Activity of Steroid Hormones in U.S. Streams
Contaminants Affect Fish and Wildlife in the Chesapeake Bay
Chemical Combo and Intersex Fish Found at Smallmouth Bass Nesting Sites
Complex Mixture of Contaminants Persists in Streams Miles from the Source
Hormones in Land-Applied Biosolids Could Affect Aquatic Organisms
Improvements in Wastewater Treatment Reduces Endocrine Disruption in Fish
- Overview
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists determined that endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) were present in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, water, and fish tissue in urban waterways in the Great Lakes and upper Mississippi River Regions (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio) during 1999 through 2009.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media DetailsFor this study scientists collected several fish species from river and lake sites and analyzed them for endocrine disrupting chemicals and biomarkers of endocrine disruption. In this photo the scientists are electrofishing to collect fish from the North Branch of the Chicago River, Chicago, Illinois. Photo credit: Clifford P. Rice, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Urban waterways provide critical functions, including water supply, wastewater disposal, transportation, and aquatic habitat. Management of these multiple uses requires an understanding of the sources, fates, and effects of chemical contaminants. There are many potential sources of chemicals to urban waterways including discharges from municipal and industrial WWTPs, inputs from land-surface runoff, and wet and dry atmospheric deposition.
Scientists started with a survey of WWTP effluent and stream water at or near some of the major WWTPs in the regions to understand differences among sites and inputs to urban waterways. A focused investigation of the Greater Metropolitan Chicago Area Waterways, Illinois assessed the movement of EDCs from their source within the WWTP sewer collection system, through the major treatment processes, and into the receiving stream. The approach also included the assessment of fish tissue concentrations and fish endocrine disruption responses to understand corresponding environmental health implications.
Scientists measured alklyphenolic EDCs including surfactant degradation products 4-nonylphenol (NP), 4- nonylphenolpolyethoxylates (NPEO), 4-nonylphenolethoxycarboxylic acid (NPEC), 4-tert-octylphenol (OP), 4-tert-octylphenolpolyethoxylates (OPEO), a plastic component (bisphenol A), and an antimicrobial (triclosan). Other non-EDCs (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid [EDTA] and boron) were measured as tracers of wastewater. Multiple fish species were collected, and their tissues were analyzed for NP, NPEO, NPEC, OP, and OPEO.
This study documented that WWTP effluent discharges can be long-term sources for a diverse group of EDCs that are not removed completely during the treatment process, and once introduced into the receiving stream, the compounds can persist for long distances downstream. All EDCs measured were detected among WWTP effluent samples, with NPEC found most frequently and with the greatest concentrations. The EDCs also were detected in the water and fish tissue of waterways receiving WWTP effluent. Biomarkers of endocrine disruption in fish indicated exposure to EDCs in the WWTP- impacted urban waterways, with a positive correlation between whole-body tissue concentrations of NP and biomarkers of endocrine disruption.
Detailed investigations of the highly engineered Greater Metropolitan Chicago Area Waterways, Illinois, indicated that (1) alkylphenolic EDCs in the sewer systems came from residential, commercial, and industrial sources; (2) although EDCs decreased during wastewater treatment, they were still present in the final WWTP effluent; (3) some EDCs are produced during wastewater treatment as the result of biodegradation of the parent surfactants; and (4) EDCs and other contaminants discharged in the WWTP effluent are transported downstream with little change in concentrations.
Information on contaminants in urban waterways is important to resource managers facing issues including wastewater reclamation and reuse, drinking water quality, aquatic biota health, and impacts of engineering approaches to change flow direction for controlling invasive species.
This research was funded by the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area’s Environmental Health Program (Contaminant Biology and Toxic Substances Hydrology) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Science Team
The team studies toxicants and pathogens in water resources from their sources, through watersheds, aquifers, and infrastructure to human and wildlife exposures. That information is used to develop decision tools that protect human and wildlife health.Filter Total Items: 18Sources of Contaminants to Congaree National Park—USGS and National Park Service Working Together
A National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study determined the concentrations, potential for degradation, and potential for aquatic and terrestrial animal exposure to organic contaminants in water and sediment within the flood-plain/aquatic environments of Congaree National Park which is located downstream from urban and agricultural areas.New Study Measures Crop Bactericide, Nitrapyrin, in Iowa Streams
First-ever reconnaissance study documents the off-field transport of nitrapyrin — a nitrification inhibitor applied with fertilizers as a bactericide to kill natural soil bacteria for the purpose of increasing crop yields — to adjacent streams. This study is the first step in understanding the transport, occurrence, and potential effects of nitrapyrin or similar compounds on nitrogen processing in...Complex Mixtures, Complex Responses—Using Comprehensive Approaches to Assess Pharmaceutical Effects on Fish
The occurrence of complex mixtures of prescription pharmaceuticals in streams and rivers around the globe has raised concerns about potential unintended adverse effects on aquatic organisms. The deleterious effects (for example, alteration of fish behavior) observed in this study confirm that effluents containing pharmaceuticals can adversely affect fish in ways that are central to sustaining...Potential Exposure to Bacteria and Viruses Weeks after Swine Manure Spill
Manure spills may be an underappreciated pathway for livestock-derived contaminants to enter streams. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health studied an Iowa stream after the release of a large volume of swine manure (a manure spill). The scientists observed an increase in viruses and bacteria, which have the potential to cause human or...Assessing Environmental Chemical Mixtures in United States Streams
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are collaborating on a field-based study of chemical mixture composition and environmental effects in stream waters affected by a wide range of human activities and contaminant sources.Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Persist Downstream from the Source
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) were transported 2 kilometers downstream of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) outfall in a coastal plain stream. EDCs persisted downstream of the outfall with little change in the numbers of EDCs and limited decreases in EDC concentrations.Biological Activity of Steroid Hormones in U.S. Streams
Testing of U.S. streams has detected glucocorticoid and androgen biological activity. In a collaborative study between the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Laboratory of Receptor Biology and Gene Expression, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and others, scientists studied the potential for the biological activity in streams of glucocorticoids and androgens hormones—both potential endocrine...Contaminants Affect Fish and Wildlife in the Chesapeake Bay
“Legacy contaminants” and “contaminants of emerging concern” that persist in the environment are affecting the health of fish and wildlife in the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. State continue to report impaired water resources due to the persistence and toxicity of some previously banned pollutants. In addition, other contaminants of emerging concern are released to the environment at levels...Chemical Combo and Intersex Fish Found at Smallmouth Bass Nesting Sites
Chemical contaminants including herbicides, veterinary pharmaceuticals, and biogenic hormones have been detected at fish nesting sites in the Potomac River watershed where endocrine disruption in smallmouth bass ( Micropterus dolomieu ) was also observed. Although these contaminants are known to originate from a variety of human and animal-waste sources, results of a recent U.S. Geological Survey...Complex Mixture of Contaminants Persists in Streams Miles from the Source
Natural processes in stream ecosystems such as dilution and microbial degradation are known to attenuate some contaminants to below levels that can cause harm to ecosystems. However, a team of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists has shown that many chemicals discharged from municipal wastewater treatment facilities persist for miles downstream at levels known, or suspected, to cause adverse...Hormones in Land-Applied Biosolids Could Affect Aquatic Organisms
Hormones from biosolids applied to fields may be present in rainfall runoff at concentrations that are high enough to impact the health of aquatic organisms if the runoff reaches streams, report scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Colorado State University in Environmental Science and Technology . Artificial rainfall runoff from agricultural test plots where biosolids were...Improvements in Wastewater Treatment Reduces Endocrine Disruption in Fish
A team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the University of Colorado, and the City of Boulder, Colorado, demonstrated that improvements to the treatment process at a wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) reduced the level of endocrine disruption in fish exposed to wastewater effluent discharged from the facility. It is difficult to anticipate the effects that upgrading WWTF... - Publications