Endocrine disrupting chemicals and indicators of endocrine disruption were found in several Minnesota lakes with surrounding urban, residential, agricultural, and forested land uses. The lakes do not directly receive discharges from industries or wastewater-treatment plants; however, they are used for recreation, and they receive water from widely scattered sources. The presence of both male and female characteristics is known to occur in fish exposed to chemicals that are hormonally active. Such evidence is commonly found in streams affected by point sources discharges from wastewater-treatment plants and industries. This study, conducted by a team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), St. Cloud State University, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, documents that endocrine disrupting chemicals and endocrine disruption in fish can occur in lakes receiving chemicals from diffuse nonpoint sources.
Indicators of Endocrine Disruption
Vitellogenin, a female egg-yolk protein not typically found in male fish, was found in several species of wild, male fish in the studied lakes. The presence of vitellogenin in male fish is commonly used as an indicator of endocrine disruption. The scientists also placed cages containing male fathead minnows in the lakes. A few of the caged male fathead minnows also produced vitellogenin after exposure to the lake water for 21 days. The scientists observed other indicators of endocrine disruption, such as male fish having female egg cells (oocytes) in their testes (commonly referred to as gonadal intersex).
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals
Natural steroidal hormones common in wastewaters, such as 4-androstene-3, 17-dione, 17β-estradiol, and estrone, were detected at levels that have been found to cause adverse health effects. Other potential endocrine disrupting compounds, including bisphenol A (a plastic- and epoxy-manufacturing ingredient) and alkylphenols (the breakdown products of surfactants used in detergents and cleaning products), were found at concentrations similar to those found in streams downstream of wastewater treatment plant discharges.
"We were surprised to see the same types of compounds found in wastewater treatment plant discharges in these Minnesota lakes. This study illustrates a need for future research to learn more about where these chemicals are coming from and the potential effects on the fish."
-- USGS scientist Jeffrey Writer
What Does it All Mean?
The occurrence of fish with indicators of endocrine disruption along with the occurrence of endocrine disrupting chemicals in the lakes indicate that nonpoint sources of endocrine disrupting chemicals may be causing endocrine disruption in native fish. While evidence of endocrine disruption in fish was generally higher in lakes surrounded with urban land use, it was evident in lakes with other land uses as well. All of the lakes in the study are used for seasonal recreation, which also could be a source of contaminants to the lakes. Further studies are needed to determine the specific sources of the endocrine disrupting chemicals and confirm a linkage between the occurrence of these chemicals and fish endocrine disruption. The results of this study can help water-resource managers understand and assess the health of fish populations in recreational lakes.
This research was funded by the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area’s Environmental Health Program (Contaminant Biology and Toxic Substances Hydrology).
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Immunomodulation Science Team
Endocrine Disrupting Compounds in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Science Team
Gestodene Affects Fish Reproductive Behavior in Laboratory Exposure Study
Swine Manure Application as a Source of Hepatitis E Virus and other Livestock-Related Pathogens
Complex Mixtures, Complex Responses—Using Comprehensive Approaches to Assess Pharmaceutical Effects on Fish
Potential Exposure to Bacteria and Viruses Weeks after Swine Manure Spill
Long-Term Study Finds Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Urban Waterways
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Persist Downstream from the Source
Neuroactive Pharmaceuticals in Minnesota Rivers
Biological Activity of Steroid Hormones in U.S. Streams
Chemical Combo and Intersex Fish Found at Smallmouth Bass Nesting Sites
Hormones in Land-Applied Biosolids Could Affect Aquatic Organisms
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- Overview
Endocrine disrupting chemicals and indicators of endocrine disruption were found in several Minnesota lakes with surrounding urban, residential, agricultural, and forested land uses. The lakes do not directly receive discharges from industries or wastewater-treatment plants; however, they are used for recreation, and they receive water from widely scattered sources. The presence of both male and female characteristics is known to occur in fish exposed to chemicals that are hormonally active. Such evidence is commonly found in streams affected by point sources discharges from wastewater-treatment plants and industries. This study, conducted by a team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), St. Cloud State University, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, documents that endocrine disrupting chemicals and endocrine disruption in fish can occur in lakes receiving chemicals from diffuse nonpoint sources.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Lake Owasso, Minnesota, is surrounded by urban land use and has eutrophic (high nutrient concentrations in the water) conditions. Many of the fish sampled in the lake showed signs of intersex (presence of both male and female characteristics). Indicators of Endocrine Disruption
Vitellogenin, a female egg-yolk protein not typically found in male fish, was found in several species of wild, male fish in the studied lakes. The presence of vitellogenin in male fish is commonly used as an indicator of endocrine disruption. The scientists also placed cages containing male fathead minnows in the lakes. A few of the caged male fathead minnows also produced vitellogenin after exposure to the lake water for 21 days. The scientists observed other indicators of endocrine disruption, such as male fish having female egg cells (oocytes) in their testes (commonly referred to as gonadal intersex).
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals
Natural steroidal hormones common in wastewaters, such as 4-androstene-3, 17-dione, 17β-estradiol, and estrone, were detected at levels that have been found to cause adverse health effects. Other potential endocrine disrupting compounds, including bisphenol A (a plastic- and epoxy-manufacturing ingredient) and alkylphenols (the breakdown products of surfactants used in detergents and cleaning products), were found at concentrations similar to those found in streams downstream of wastewater treatment plant discharges.
"We were surprised to see the same types of compounds found in wastewater treatment plant discharges in these Minnesota lakes. This study illustrates a need for future research to learn more about where these chemicals are coming from and the potential effects on the fish."
-- USGS scientist Jeffrey WriterWhat Does it All Mean?
The occurrence of fish with indicators of endocrine disruption along with the occurrence of endocrine disrupting chemicals in the lakes indicate that nonpoint sources of endocrine disrupting chemicals may be causing endocrine disruption in native fish. While evidence of endocrine disruption in fish was generally higher in lakes surrounded with urban land use, it was evident in lakes with other land uses as well. All of the lakes in the study are used for seasonal recreation, which also could be a source of contaminants to the lakes. Further studies are needed to determine the specific sources of the endocrine disrupting chemicals and confirm a linkage between the occurrence of these chemicals and fish endocrine disruption. The results of this study can help water-resource managers understand and assess the health of fish populations in recreational lakes.
This research was funded by the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area’s Environmental Health Program (Contaminant Biology and Toxic Substances Hydrology).
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 23Immunomodulation Science Team
The Immunomodulation Integrated Science Team focuses on contaminant and pathogen exposures in the environment that might influence the immune systems of wildlife and the connection to their shared environment with humans. In collaboration with public-health officials, the Team also addresses potential human-health risks stemming from similar exposures. If actual risks are identified, this Team...Endocrine Disrupting Compounds in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Science Team
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and provides critical resources to fish, wildlife and people. For more than a decade, recreational fish species have been plagued with skin lesions and intersex conditions (the presence of male and female sex characteristics in the same fish) that biologists attributed to exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs)...Gestodene 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.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.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.Neuroactive Pharmaceuticals in Minnesota Rivers
A team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the University of Colorado measured seven neuroactive pharmaceutical compounds in treated wastewater and downstream receiving waters at 24 sites across Minnesota. The analysis of samples collected upstream and downstream of wastewater treatment plants indicated that wastewater treatment plants were the major source of these chemicals.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...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 applied... - Multimedia
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