Prevalence, distribution, accumulation, and risk of environmental corticosteroids and estrogens in biofilms from the Pearl River Delta

Jian Gong; Ke-Xin Yang; Can-Yuan Lin; Qiang Li; Chong Han; Wei Tao; Ying Huang; Wei-Quan Lin; Cui-Qin Wu; Shu-Han Zhang; De-Xin Wang

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122192

Prevalence, distribution, accumulation, and risk of environmental corticosteroids and estrogens in biofilms from the Pearl River Delta

Environ Pollut. 2023 Oct 1:334:122192. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122192. Epub 2023 Jul 12.

Authors

Jian Gong¹, Ke-Xin Yang², Can-Yuan Lin², Qiang Li³, Chong Han³, Wei Tao⁴, Ying Huang², Wei-Quan Lin⁵, Cui-Qin Wu², Shu-Han Zhang², De-Xin Wang²

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radionuclides Pollution Control and Resources, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China. Electronic address: jiangong@gzhu.edu.cn.
² Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radionuclides Pollution Control and Resources, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
³ School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
⁴ South China Sea Environment Monitoring Center, State Oceanic Administration (SOA), Guangzhou, 510300, China.
⁵ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering/Analytical and Testing Center of Guangzhou University, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China.

PMID: 37451591
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122192

Abstract

Biofilms play a significant role in the biogeochemical processing of organic matter and the environmental fate of emerging pollutants. In this study, we investigated the occurrence and distribution of 32 endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), including 24 environmental corticosteroids (ECs) and 8 environmental estrogens (EEs), in natural biofilms from the Pearl River system. Their association between biofilms and water and environmental risk were assessed. The ECs and EEs ubiquitously occurred in the biofilms, ranging from <0.61-6.57 ng/g and <0.8-2535 ng/g, respectively. Temporally, there was no obvious variance in either ECs or EEs in the biofilms during the winter and summer, and their concentrations exhibited a spatial trend of upward to midstream, descending downstream, and then seaward attenuation at the estuary. For ECs and EEs, the similar levels of field-derived bioconcentration factors (BCFs) (logarithm values: 2.42-2.86 and 2.72-2.98, respectively) and biofilm organic carbon-normalized partitioning coefficients (K_boc) (3.39-3.69 and 3.35-3.95) suggest the comparable potential of accumulation and sorption by biofilms between these two classes of EDCs. In addition, higher values of BCF and K_boc for the EEs were found in winter and were correspondingly comparable to their distribution coefficients (K_d) and K_oc derived from suspended particles and sediment, revealing that biofilms are a competitive environmental compartment for capturing EDCs, particularly during the mature period. A positive logK_boc-logK_ow relationship suggests hydrophobic partitioning as a primary interaction mechanism between the biofilm and EEs. Moreover, high risks from biofilm-associated ECs and EEs might have posed to the fluvial ecosystem. This study provides original insights into the occurrence, fate, and risk of ECs in natural biofilms for the first time and demonstrates that biofilms may not only serve as reservoirs but also serve as sentinels for fluvial EDC contamination. These results contribute to the further understanding of the behavior and fate of EDCs in aquatic environments.

Keywords: Biofilm; Corticosteroid; Distribution; Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs); Partition; River.

MeSH terms

Adrenal Cortex Hormones
Biofilms
China
Ecosystem
Endocrine Disruptors* / analysis
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Estrogens
Prevalence
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Estrogens
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Adrenal Cortex Hormones
Endocrine Disruptors