Ethinyloestradiol — an undesired fish contraceptive?

• Published in: Aquatic toxicology Vol. 45; no. 2; pp. 91 - 97
• Main Authors: Larsson, D.G.J, Adolfsson-Erici, M, Parkkonen, J, Pettersson, M, Berg, A.H, Olsson, P.-E, Förlin, L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.04.1999; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Agnatha. Pisces; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Sciences; Biologiska vetenskaper; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on vertebrates; Endocrine disruptors; Environmental hormones; Estradiol; Estrogen; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Reproduction; Water quality; Sweden; Europe; Endocrine disruptors; Reproduction; Estradiol; Environmental hormones; Estrogen; Water quality; Hormone; Salmonidae; Ethinylestradiol; Oncorhynchus mykiss; Sexual reproduction; Endocrine secretion; Freshwater environment; Vertebrata; Pisces; Contraceptive; Poisoning; Water pollution; Biological effect; Biological accumulation; Waste water discharge
• ISSN: 0166-445X; 1879-1514; 1879-1514
• DOI: 10.1016/S0166-445X(98)00112-X

Environmental oestrogens are natural or synthetic substances present in the environment, which imitate the effects of endogenous oestrogen. Oestrogenic substances were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in effluent water from a Swedish sewage treatment works receiving mainly domestic wastewater. Substances found include the synthetic oestrogen used in contraceptives 17 α-ethinyloestradiol (4.5 ng l − 1), the natural oestrogens oestrone (5.8 ng l − 1) and 17 β-oestradiol (1.1 ng l − 1), and the weaker non-steroidal oestrogens 4-nonylphenol (840 ng l − 1) and bisphenol A (490 ng l − 1). Ethinyloestradiol exceeded levels shown to be oestrogenic to fish by 45 times. The oestrogenicity of the effluent water was investigated by introducing juvenile rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss) in cages downstream of the sewage treatment works. After 2 weeks, all oestrogens indicated were present in the bile of the fish, and the oestrogen inducible protein, vitellogenin, was found in large amounts in the plasma (1.5 mg ml −1), as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting. Thus, a widely used synthetic oestrogen affects the endocrine systems of fish exposed to sewage effluent water.