Removal of Estrogenic Activity from Municipal Waste Landfill Leachate Assessed with a Bioassay Based on Reporter Gene Expression

• Published in: Environmental science & technology Vol. 37; no. 15; pp. 3430 - 3434
• Main Authors: Coors, Anja, Jones, Paul D, Giesy, John P, Ratte, Hans Toni
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 01.08.2003
• Subjects: Activated carbon; Applied sciences; Benzhydryl Compounds; Bioassays; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Assay - methods; Biological treatment of waters; Biotechnology; bisphenol-A; Breast Neoplasms; Contamination; Environment and pollution; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental Pollution - prevention & control; Estrogens; Estrogens, Non-Steroidal - analysis; Estrogens, Non-Steroidal - toxicity; Exact sciences and technology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene expression; Gene Expression Profiling; Genes, Reporter; Humans; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Landfill; Leachates; Other wastewaters; Phenols - analysis; Phenols - toxicity; Pollution; Refuse Disposal; Sludge; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Soil Pollutants - toxicity; Tumor Cells, Cultured; ultrafiltration; Wastewaters; Water Pollutants - analysis; Water Pollutants - toxicity; Water treatment and pollution; Europe; Germany; Biodegradation; Mimetic hormone; Waste dumping; Liquid solid adsorption; Urban waste; Estrogen; Endocrine disruptor; Biological purification; Aerobic digestion; Membrane separation; Reporter gene; Ultrafiltration; Solid waste; Physicochemical purification; Reverse osmosis; Waste water purification; Performance; Leachate; Xenobiotic
• ISSN: 0013-936X; 1520-5851
• DOI: 10.1021/es0300158

The leachate of a municipal waste landfill was tested for estrogenic activity using a reporter-gene-based bioassay with a human breast-cancer-derived cell line (MVLN cells). The leachate was processed with two different membrane-employing processes operating in parallel. One process consists of aerobic biological degradation, ultrafiltration, and subsequent adsorption to activated carbon. The second process was a reverse osmosis treatment of the raw leachate. Both processes are common in the treatment of landfill leachate. Here, the efficacy of the two processes to remove “estrogenicity” was compared. Both treatment processes removed more than 97% of the estrogenic activity, calculated as estradiol equivalents (EEQs), but they were not equally effective. After adsorption to activated carbon, no estrogenicity was detected, whereas concentrated effluent of the reverse osmosis treatment still elicited an estrogenic response in the bioassay. On the basis of chemical analysis, it is proposed that bisphenol A was responsible for the majority of estrogenic activity in the raw and treated leachate. Although the contribution of treated leachate to the estrogenic load on the aquatic environment seems to be low compared to that of sewage treatment works, the high estrogenic activity in raw landfill leachate stresses the necessity for the appropriate treatment of these leachates.