Efficacy of an advanced sewage treatment plant in southeast Queensland, Australia, to remove estrogenic chemicals

Environ Sci Technol. 2005 Aug 1;39(15):5781-6. doi: 10.1021/es0484303.

Abstract

The estrogenicity profile of domestic sewage during treatment at a medium-sized (3800 EP) advanced biological nutrient removal plant in Queensland, Australia, was characterized using a sheep estrogen receptor binding assay (ERBA) and the MCF-7 breast cancer cell proliferation assay (E-Screen). The raw influent was highly estrogenic (20-54 ng/L EEq), and primary treatment resulted in a slight increase in estrogenicity that was detected in one of the assays (6-80 ng/L). Concurrent chemical analysis suggested that most of the estrogenicity in the influent was due to natural hormones (>48%). Secondary activated sludge treatment followed by nitrification/denitrification effectively removed > 95% of the estrogenic activity (to <0.75-2.6 ng/L), and estrogenicity of the final tertiary-treated effluent was below the detection limit of both assays (<0.75 ng/L).

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Binding Sites
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Estradiol / analysis*
  • Estradiol / metabolism
  • Estrone / analysis*
  • Estrone / metabolism
  • Ethinyl Estradiol / analysis*
  • Ethinyl Estradiol / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Queensland
  • Radioligand Assay
  • Receptors, Estrogen / metabolism
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis*
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / metabolism
  • Water Purification / methods*

Substances

  • Receptors, Estrogen
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical
  • Estrone
  • Ethinyl Estradiol
  • Estradiol