Fate simulation and risk assessment of endocrine disrupting chemicals in a reservoir receiving recycled wastewater

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 408; no. 24; pp. 6243 - 6250
• Main Authors: Cao, Qiming, Yu, Qiming, Connell, Des W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 15.11.2010; [Amsterdam; New York]: Elsevier Science; Elsevier
• Subjects: 17α-ethinylestradiol; 17β-estradiol; Air. Soil. Water. Waste. Feeding; Animals; Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Computer simulation; Continental surface waters; Cumulative probability; Drinking water; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Endocrine Disruptors - analysis; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environment. Living conditions; Environmental Exposure - analysis; Environmental Monitoring; Estradiol - analysis; Estrogens; Estrone; Estrone - analysis; Ethinyl Estradiol - analysis; Exact sciences and technology; Fishes - metabolism; Fresh Water - chemistry; Health risk assessment; Humans; Medical sciences; Natural water pollution; Pollution; Pollution, environment geology; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Receiving; Recycled; Reservoirs; Risk; Risk Assessment; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Waste water; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollution, Chemical - statistics & numerical data; Water reuse; Water Supply - analysis; Water treatment and pollution; Australia; Oceania; Estrone; 17β-estradiol; Cumulative probability; Health risk assessment; Water reuse; 17α-ethinylestradiol; Ethinylestradiol; Estrogen; 17β-Estradiol; Endocrine disruptor; Waste water; Waste management; Health and environment; Upgrading; Risk assessment; Artificial lake; Surface water; Water quality; Health hazards; Waste reuse; Water pollution; Recycling; Sex steroid hormone; Public health; Organic compounds
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2010.08.059

A fugacity based model was applied to simulate the distribution of three endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), namely estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) in a reservoir receiving recycled wastewater in Australia. At typical conditions, the majority of estrogens were removed by degradation in the water compartment. A sensitivity analysis found that the simulated concentrations of E1, E2 and EE2 were equally sensitive to the parameters of temperature (T), reservoir water volume (V) and equivalent biomass concentration (EBC), but E1 was more sensitive to estrogen concentration in the recycled water (C e) and recycling rate (F r). In contrast, all three estrogens were not sensitive to reservoir water releasing rate (F d). Furthermore, a probabilistic health risk assessment showed that the simulated concentrations were below fish exposure threshold value (ETV) and human public health standard (PHS). Human equivalent dose of EDCs from fish consumption was about 10 times higher than that from drinking water consumption. The highest risk quotient among the three estrogens was found for EE2 with less than 9.5 × 10 −2, implying negligible health risks.