The slick scum or biofilm that covers most rocks in streams can accumulate contaminants that disrupt reproductive and other endocrine systems in fish. This is the finding of a team of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and University of Colorado Boulder scientists as described in a recent article in Environmental Science and Technology (Writer and others, 2011). Biofilms are a mixture of algae, microbes, and organic matter that grow on streambed material such as rocks and stones. The scientists determined that biofilms absorb endocrine disrupting chemicals faster than they can biodegrade them; therefore the chemicals accumulate. Since many fish and other aquatic animals feed on biofilms, the contaminants in biofilms have the potential to be transferred through the food web.
The study took place in Boulder Creek, Colorado. Boulder Creek is similar to many streams around the country in which wastewater contributes a substantial amount (10 to 80 percent) of the water to the stream. The scientists took samples of biofilms, streambed sediments, and water above and below the wastewater discharge outlet on Boulder Creek in hopes of defining the role of biofilms in controlling the movement of contaminants downstream.
Previous studies have shown that wastewater contains a variety of contaminants including endocrine disrupting compounds, and that exposure to wastewater can cause endocrine disruption in fish. The scientists analyzed the samples for two classes of endocrine-disrupting chemicals—hormones (such as 17β-estradiol, estrone, and 17a-ethynylestradiol), and nonylphenols (detergent degradation products such as 4-nonylphenol, 4-nonylphenolmonoethoxylate, and 4-nonylphenoldiethoxylate).
The scientists detected minimal levels of these compounds in biofilms in Boulder Creek upstream of the wastewater discharge. In contrast, many of the compounds downstream of the wastewater outlet were detected at much higher levels. It is interesting to note that many of the hormones were not detected in any of the water samples, both upstream and downstream, but were detected in the biofilms. This shows that the biofilms efficiently accumulate hormones from water and can play a major role in understanding the impact of these chemicals on aquatic organisms.
This study was funded by the USGS’s Toxic Substances Hydrology Program and National Research Program, and by the National Science Foundation (Grant No. CBET-0854527).
Related Science is listed below.
Gestodene Affects Fish Reproductive Behavior in Laboratory Exposure Study
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Synthetic Progestin Affects Fish Reproductive Development and Behavior in Laboratory Exposure Study
Complex Mixtures, Complex Responses—Using Comprehensive Approaches to Assess Pharmaceutical Effects on Fish
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- Overview
The slick scum or biofilm that covers most rocks in streams can accumulate contaminants that disrupt reproductive and other endocrine systems in fish. This is the finding of a team of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and University of Colorado Boulder scientists as described in a recent article in Environmental Science and Technology (Writer and others, 2011). Biofilms are a mixture of algae, microbes, and organic matter that grow on streambed material such as rocks and stones. The scientists determined that biofilms absorb endocrine disrupting chemicals faster than they can biodegrade them; therefore the chemicals accumulate. Since many fish and other aquatic animals feed on biofilms, the contaminants in biofilms have the potential to be transferred through the food web.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.USGS scientist, holding a stone from Boulder Creek, Colo., that's covered with a biofilm. USGS scientists found that the biofilm that coats many of the stones on the bottom of the creek absorbs endocrine-disrupting compounds. Photo credit: Ronald C. Antweiler, USGS. The study took place in Boulder Creek, Colorado. Boulder Creek is similar to many streams around the country in which wastewater contributes a substantial amount (10 to 80 percent) of the water to the stream. The scientists took samples of biofilms, streambed sediments, and water above and below the wastewater discharge outlet on Boulder Creek in hopes of defining the role of biofilms in controlling the movement of contaminants downstream.
Previous studies have shown that wastewater contains a variety of contaminants including endocrine disrupting compounds, and that exposure to wastewater can cause endocrine disruption in fish. The scientists analyzed the samples for two classes of endocrine-disrupting chemicals—hormones (such as 17β-estradiol, estrone, and 17a-ethynylestradiol), and nonylphenols (detergent degradation products such as 4-nonylphenol, 4-nonylphenolmonoethoxylate, and 4-nonylphenoldiethoxylate).
The scientists detected minimal levels of these compounds in biofilms in Boulder Creek upstream of the wastewater discharge. In contrast, many of the compounds downstream of the wastewater outlet were detected at much higher levels. It is interesting to note that many of the hormones were not detected in any of the water samples, both upstream and downstream, but were detected in the biofilms. This shows that the biofilms efficiently accumulate hormones from water and can play a major role in understanding the impact of these chemicals on aquatic organisms.
This study was funded by the USGS’s Toxic Substances Hydrology Program and National Research Program, and by the National Science Foundation (Grant No. CBET-0854527).
- Science
Related Science is listed below.
Filter Total Items: 18Gestodene Affects Fish Reproductive Behavior in Laboratory Exposure Study
Short-term laboratory exposure of adult fathead minnows to the human contraceptive progestin, gestodene (GES), at environmentally relevant concentrations induced rapid and negative effects on reproductive health and suggests that wild fish may be similarly affected.Swine Manure Application as a Source of Hepatitis E Virus and other Livestock-Related Pathogens
The presence of indicator bacteria, hepatitis E virus (HEV), and numerous bacterial pathogen genes increased following precipitation-induced runoff events in streams draining adjacent land surfaces in Iowa where swine manure was recently applied.Recovery of Stream and Adjacent Groundwater After Wastewater Treatment Facility Closure
The hydrology and chemistry of a wastewater-impacted stream and adjacent groundwater responded rapidly (had fewer chemicals at lower concentrations) following wastewater treatment facility shutdown. However, the adjacent shallow groundwater remained a continuing source of some wastewater-derived contaminants to the stream at least 1 year post-shutdown.Synthetic Progestin Affects Fish Reproductive Development and Behavior in Laboratory Exposure Study
Scientists conducted laboratory experiments on levonorgestrel (a synthetic progestin) and observed differential effects to males (reproductive behavior) and females (masculinization) of eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki).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...Long-Term Study Finds Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Urban Waterways
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.Personal Care Products, Pharmaceuticals, and Hormones Move from Septic Systems to Local Groundwater
Pharmaceuticals, hormones, personal care products, and other contaminants of concern associated with everyday household activities were found in adjacent shallow groundwater near two septic system networks in New York (NY) and New England (NE). Factors influencing movement to shallow groundwater and the types of chemicals found include population served by a septic system, site conditions such as...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.Chemicals Found in Treated Wastewater are Transported from Streams to Groundwater
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists studying a midwestern stream conclude that pharmaceuticals and other contaminants in treated wastewater effluent discharged to the stream are transported into adjacent shallow groundwater. Other mobile chemicals found in wastewater are expected to have similar fates.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...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... - Publications
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