Occurrence and distribution of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in mariculture fish and the human health implications

Occurrence, distribution and risk assessment of antibiotics and pesticides in mariculture area around Liaodong Peninsula

Mariculture stands as a pivotal enterprise aimed at enhancing the quality of human existence. However, the utilization of antibiotics and pesticides in the mariculture process poses threats to both the environment and human well-being. Therefore, it is of great significance to investigate the occurrence, distribution and risk of antibiotics and pesticides in mariculture areas. In this study, 11 kinds of antibiotics and 12 kinds of pesticides were screened in four mariculture areas around Liaodong Peninsula in China. The pollution characteristics of pollutants were investigated in three different mariculture stages. The pollution in the reproduction stage was the most serious, indicating that mariculture may have a potential impact on the surrounding seawater. Health risk assessment results indicate that the pollutants have a significant risk to human health, therefore it is necessary to strengthen the control of chemicals used in mariculture in future.

Bioprospecting photosynthetic microorganisms for the removal of endocrine disruptor compounds

Endocrine disruption compounds can be found in various daily products, like pesticides, along with cosmetic and pharmaceutical commodities. Moreover, occurrence of EDCs in the wastewater alarms the urgency for their removal before discharge owing to the harmful effect for the environment and human health. Compared to implementation of physical and chemical strategies, cultivation of photosynthetic microorganisms has been acknowledged for their high efficiency and eco-friendly process in EDCs removal along with accumulation of valuable byproducts. During the process, photosynthetic microorganisms remove EDCs via photodegradation, bio-adsorption, -accumulation, and -degradation. Regarding their high tolerance in extreme environment, photosynthetic microorganisms have high feasibility for implementation in wastewater treatment plant. However, several considerations are critical for their scaling up process. This review discussed the potency of EDCs removal by photosynthetic microorganisms and focused on the efficiency, mechanism, challenge, along with the prospect. Details on the mechanism's pathway, accumulation of valuable byproducts, and recent progress in scaling up and application in real wastewater were also projected in this review.

Public perception on human exposure risk: A case study on endocrine disrupting compounds in the environment

Humans are exposed to environmental risks owing to the broad usage of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). However, the subjective evaluation of risk levels and characteristics, as well as the variation in risk processing, have not been thoroughly examined. The objective was to understand the public's perception of the risk associated with human exposure to environmental EDCs and identify any variations in risk perception. In this pioneering study conducted within the distinctive social and cultural context of Malaysia, a developing nation, a quantitative analysis approach was employed to assess the subjective evaluation of risk levels and characteristics among the public while developing a risk perception model. Data gathered from surveys and questionnaires were analyzed to gather information on the public's perception of environmental and health issues pertaining to pesticides, hormones, plastics, medicines, and cosmetics. The analysis revealed that the majority of the public assessed the level of human exposure to environmental risks based on experiential processing, which was influenced by cognitive and affective variables. Interestingly, a higher proportion of individuals in the community had a low risk perception of environmental EDCs, surpassing the overall risk perception by 19.3%. Furthermore, the public showed significant awareness of environmental and health issues related to pesticides, hormones, and plastics but had a lesser inclination to acknowledge the vulnerability of humans to risks associated with medicines and cosmetics. These findings suggest that the public is likely to be exposed to environmental EDCs based on their current perceived risks, and that sociopsychological factors play a significant role in shaping perceptions and judgments. This understanding can inform the development of targeted risk management strategies and interventions to mitigate the potential harm caused by environmental EDCs.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals in Vietnamese marine fish: Occurrence, distribution, and risk assessment

The release of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) into the aquatic environment, specifically the oceans, is increasing, leading to adverse effects on the marine ecosystem. Using optimized QuEChERS extraction methods, the study created the first contamination profiles of 44 EDCs, including organic ultraviolet compounds, pharmaceutically active compounds, hormones, and phthalate esters, in 114 fish muscle samples from five species collected along the Vietnamese coast. The study found that largehead hairtail exhibited the highest total EDCs at 208.3 ng g-1 lipid weight (lw), while Indian catfish displayed the lowest concentration at 105.5 ng g-1 lw. Besides, the study observed notable variations in the total EDCs across distinct fish species. This study hypothesized that the marine economic characteristics of each research location have a significant role in shaping the pollution profile of EDCs found in fish specimens taken from the corresponding area. As a result, a notable disparity in the composition of organic ultraviolet compounds has been observed among the three regions of North, Central, and South Vietnam (Mann-Whitney U test, p < 0.05). Despite these findings, EDC-contaminated fish did not pose any health risks to Vietnam's coastal population.

What drives the growth of china's mariculture production? An empirical analysis of its coastal regions from 1983 to 2019

China's mariculture (i.e., seafood farming in the ocean) production has grown rapidly. It ranks the first in the world and has made a huge contribution to solving human food security and nutrition issues. This study aimed to examine the development process of China's mariculture since 1983, clarify the main driving factors for the growth of mariculture production, and analyze whether China's experience can help other major producers in the world. Using the data on China's 10 coastal regions, this study applied the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) from both the national and regional perspectives to analyze the main driving factors for the growth of China's mariculture production from 1983 to 2019. The results indicate that China's total mariculture production showed an overall upward trend and the major driving factor for the increase changed from the initial labor force to unit production. The primary factor for the increase in the Circum-Bohai Sea was labor, whereas that in the South China Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea was unit production. China's mariculture production has expanded from resource-driven to efficiency-driven. This study has practical significance for policy formulation and the future development direction of mariculture. This study provides a universally applicable methodology, and has reference significance for the world's major mariculture producers to further study the sustainable growth of mariculture production.

Occurrence, tissue distribution, and risk assessment of progestins, androgens, estrogens, and phenols in wild freshwater fish species

The presence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in aquatic environments such as water, sediment, and sludge received more and more attention. However, the bioaccumulate properties of EDCs, particularly progestins and androgens, in various tissues of different wild freshwater fish species, as well as their effects on human health, have not been fully studied. The muscle, liver, and gills of three wild fish species obtained from the East Dongting Lake in southern China were examined for the presence of 19 EDCs (4 progestins, 5 androgens, 6 estrogens, and 4 phenols). Seventeen analytes were detected in all fish samples, and the concentrations of progestins, androgens, estrogens, and phenols ranged from ND-78.80 ng/g (wet weight, ww), ND-50.40 ng/g ww, ND-3573.82 ng/g ww, and ND-88.17 ng/g ww, respectively. The bioaccumulation of some EDCs in wild fish from East Dongting Lake was species-specific. Additionally, AND, EES, P4, and E2 were discovered in the liver at higher levels than in the muscle, suggesting that livers had a larger ability for enriching these EDCs than the muscle. Furthermore, the relationships between the fish sizes and the EDC concentrations indicated that total weight and length had a negligible impact on the bioaccumulation of EDCs in various fish species. Most importantly, the effects of EDCs on human health as a result of fish consumption were assessed. Although the estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of most EDCs were much lower compared with the corresponding acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) via consuming fish collected in this study, the EDI of EE2 in Silurus asotus was higher than the ADI of E2, indicating that Silurus asotus from East Dongting Lake should be eaten in moderation by local residents.

Free and conjugated forms of metabolites are indispensable components of steroids: The first evidence from an estuarine food web

Steroids have attracted particular attention as environmental contaminants because of their severe endocrine-disrupting effects. Previous studies have predominantly focused on parent steroids; however, the levels and proportions of the free and conjugated forms of their metabolites remain largely unclear, especially in food webs. Here, we first characterized the free and conjugated forms of parent steroids and their metabolites in 26 species in an estuarine food web. The steroids were dominated by their metabolites in water samples, whereas parent compounds were predominant in sediment samples. The total mean steroid concentrations in the biota samples that underwent non-enzymatic hydrolysis decreased in the following order: crabs (27 ng/g) > fish (5.9 ng/g) > snails (3.4 ng/g) > shrimps and sea cucumbers (1.2 ng/g); and those in the biota samples that underwent enzymatic hydrolysis decreased in the following order: crabs (57 ng/g) > snails (9.2 ng/g) > fish (7.9 ng/g) > shrimps and sea cucumbers (3.5 ng/g). The proportion of metabolites in the enzymatic hydrolysis biota samples was higher (38-79%) than that (2.9-65%) in non-enzymatic ones, indicating that the free and conjugated forms of metabolites in aquatic organisms were not negligible. Most synthetic steroids were either bioaccumulative or highly bioaccumulative. Importantly, in the invertebrate food web, 17α-methyltestosterone was biomagnified, while 17β-boldenone underwent trophic dilution. Although the estuarine water had a median ecological risk level, the health risks via aquatic product consumption were very low. This study provides novel insights into the composition and trophic transfer of steroids in an estuarine food web for the first time and highlights that free and conjugated metabolites should receive more attention, particularly in biota samples.

Acute toxicity and risk assessment of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) in tropical cladocerans Moina micrura

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are gaining worldwide attention because of their toxicity, bioaccumulative and resistance to biological degradation in the environment. PFAS can be categorised into endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and identified as possible carcinogenic agents for the aquatic ecosystem and humans. Despite this, only a few studies have been conducted on the aquatic toxicity of PFAS, particularly in invertebrate species such as zooplankton. This study evaluated the acute toxicity of two main PFAS, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), by using freshwater cladocerans (Moina micrura) as bioindicators. This study aimed to assess the adverse effects at different levels of organisations such as organ (heart size and heart rate), individual (individual size and mortality) and population (lethal concentration, LC₅₀). PFOA was shown to be more hazardous than PFOS, with the LC₅₀ values (confidence interval) of 474.7 (350.4-644.5) μg L^-1 and 549.6 (407.2-743.9) μg L^-1, respectively. As the concentrations of PFOS and PFOA increased, there were declines in individual size and heart rate as compared to the control group. The values of PNECs acquired by using the AF method (PNEC_AF) for PFOA and PFOS were 0.4747 and 0.5496 μg L^-1, respectively. Meanwhile, the PNEC values obtained using the SSD method (PNEC_SSD) were 1077.0 μg L^-1 (PFOA) and 172.5 μg L^-1 (PFOS). PNEC_AF is more protective and conservative compared to PNEC_SSD. The findings of this study have significant implications for PFOS and PFOA risk assessment in aquatic environments. Thus, it will aid freshwater sustainability and safeguard the human dependency on water resources.

A transcriptomic-based analysis predicts the neuroendocrine disrupting effect on adult male and female zebrafish (Danio rerio) following long-term exposure to tetrabromobisphenol A bis(2-hydroxyethyl) ether

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are now ubiquitously distributed in the environment. Tetrabromobisphenol A bis(2-hydroxyethyl) ether (TBBPA-DHEE) pollution in environment media poses a significant threat to humans and aquatic organisms as a result of its potential neurotoxicity and endocrine-disrupting effect. The endocrine-disrupting effects of TBBPA-DHEE on aquatic organisms, however, have received limited attention. In this study, the neurotoxicity and reproductive endocrine-disruptive effect of TBBPA-DHEE was evaluated by observing the neurobehavioral changes, vitellogenin (VTG), testosterone, 17β-estradiol and gene expression levels in adult male and female zebrafish exposed to TBBPA-DHEE (0.05, 0.2 and 0.3 mg/L) for 100 days. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis was conducted to unravel other potential neuroendocrine-disrupting mechanism. Our result showed TBBPA-DHEE significantly (p < 0.05) altered the locomotor behavior and motor coordination abilities in both sexes. Steroid hormone and VTG levels were also altered indicating the neuroendocrine-disrupting effect of TBBPA-DHEE on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal-axis. A total of 1568 genes were upregulated and 542 genes downregulated in males, whereas, 1265 upregulated and 535 downregulated genes were observed in females. The KEGG enrichment analysis showed that cell cycle and p55 signaling pathways were significantly enriched due to TBBPA-DHEE exposure. These pathways and its component genes are potential target of EDCs. The significant upregulation of genes in these pathways could partly explain the neuroendocrine disrupting effect of TBBPA-DHEE. The observed toxic effects of TBBPA-DHEE observed in this study is confirmation of the endocrine-disrupting toxicity of this chemical which would be valuable in biosafety evaluation and biomonitoring of TBBPA-DHEE for public health purposes.

Development of a single-run liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis for the detection of 11 multiclass contaminants of emerging concern using a direct filtration method

In toxicological analysis, the analytical validation method is important to assess the exact risk of contaminants of emerging concern in the environment. Syringe filters are mainly used to remove impurities from sample solutions. However, the loss of analyte to the syringe filter could be considerable, causing an underestimate of the analyte concentrations. The current study develops and validates simultaneous liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis using a direct filtration method to detect four groups of contaminants of emerging concern. The adsorption of the analyte onto three different matrices and six types of syringe filters is reported. The lowest adsorption of analytes was observed in methanol (16.72%), followed by deionized water (48.19%) and filtered surface lake water (48.94%). Irrespective of the type of the matrices, the lowest average adsorption by the syringe filter was observed in the 0.45 μm polypropylene membrane (15.15%), followed by the 0.20 μm polypropylene membrane (16.10%), the 0.20 μm regenerated cellulose (16.15%), the 0.20 μm polytetrafluoroethylene membrane (47.38%), the 0.45 μm nylon membrane (64.87%) and the 0.20 μm nylon membrane (71.30%). In conclusion, the recommended syringe filter membranes for contaminants of emerging concern analysis are polypropylene membranes and regenerated cellulose, regardless of the matrix used.

Human dietary exposure to bisphenol-diglycidyl ethers in China: Comprehensive assessment through a total diet study

Despite the widespread use of bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) and bisphenol F diglycidyl ether (BFDGE) in various consumer products as protective plasticizer, studies on human dietary exposure to these compounds are scare. In this study, nine bisphenol diglycidyl ethers (BDGEs) including BADGE, BFDGE, and seven of their derivatives were determined in the Chinese adult population based on composite dietary samples collected from the sixth (2016-2019) China total diet study (TDS). Contamination level of nine BDGEs was determined in 288 composite dietary samples from 24 provinces in China. BADGE·2H₂O and BADGE are the most frequently detected and BADGE·2H₂O presented the highest mean concentration (2.402 μg/kg). The most contaminated food composite is meats, with a mean ∑₉BDGEs of 8.203 μg/kg, followed by aquatic products (4.255 μg/kg), eggs (4.045 μg/kg), and dairy products (3.256 μg/kg). The estimated daily intake (EDI) of ∑₉BDGEs based on the mean and 95th percentile concentrations are 121.27 ng/kg bw/day and 249.71 ng/kg bw/day. Meats, eggs, and aquatic products are the main source of dietary exposure. Notably, beverages and water, alcohols were the main contributors of dietary exposure to BADGE and BADGE·2H₂O, followed by animal-derived foods. Dietary exposure assessment demonstrated that human dietary BDGEs do not pose risks to general population based on the mean and 95th percentile hazard index with < 1. This is the first comprehensive national dietary exposure assessment of BDGEs in Chinese general population.

Bio-removal of emerging pollutants by advanced bioremediation techniques

This review highlights the relevance of bioremediation techniques for the removal of emerging pollutants (EPs). The EPs are chemical or biological pollutants that are not currently monitored or regulated by environmental authorities, but which can enter the environment and cause harmful effects to the environment and human health. In recent times, an ample range of EPs have been found in water bodies, where they can unbalance ecosystems and cause negative effects on non-target species. In addition, some EPs have shown high rates of bioaccumulation in aquatic species, thus affecting the safety and quality of seafood. The negative impacts of emerging pollutants, their wide distribution in the environment, their bioaccumulation rates, and their resistance to wastewater treatment plants processes have led to research on sustainable remediation. Remediation techniques have been recently directed to advanced biological remediation technologies. Such technologies have exhibited numerous advantages like in-situ remediation, low costs, eco-friendliness, high public acceptance, and so on. Thus, the present review has compiled the most recent studies on bioremediation techniques for water decontamination from emerging pollutants to extend the current knowledge on sustainable remediation technologies. Biological emerging contaminants, agrochemicals, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and pharmaceutical and personal care products were considered for this review study, and their removal by bioremediation techniques involving plants, bacteria, microalgae, and fungi. Finally, further research opportunities are presented based on current challenges from an economic, biological, and operation perspective.

Prioritization based on risk assessment to study the bioconcentration and biotransformation of pharmaceuticals in glass eels (Anguilla anguilla) from the Adour estuary (Basque Country, France)

The presence of contaminants of emerging concern in the aquatic environment directly impacts water-living organisms and can alter their living functions. These compounds are often metabolized and excreted, but they can also be accumulated and spread through the food chain. The metabolized contaminants can also lead to the formation of new compounds with unknown toxicity and bioaccumulation potential. In this work, we have studied the occurrence, bioconcentration, and biotransformation of CECs in glass eels (Anguilla anguilla) using UHPLC-HRMS. To select the target CECs, we first carried out an environmental risk assessment of the WWTP effluent that releases directly into the Adour estuary (Bayonne, Basque Country, France). The risk quotients of every detected contaminant were calculated and three ecotoxicologically relevant contaminants were chosen to perform the exposure experiment: propranolol, diazepam, and irbesartan. An experiment of 14 days consisting of 7 days of exposure and 7 days of depuration was carried out to measure the bioconcentration of the chosen compounds. The quantitative results of the concentrations in glass eel showed that diazepam and irbesartan reached BCF ≈10 on day 7, but both compounds were eliminated after 7 days of depuration. On the other hand, propranolol's concentration remains constant all along with the experiment, and its presence can be detected even in the non-exposed control group, which might suggest environmental contamination. Two additional suspect screening strategies were used to identify metabolization products of the target compounds and other xenobiotics already present in wild glass eels. Only one metabolite was identified, nordiazepam, a well-known diazepam metabolite, probably due to the low metabolic rate of glass eels at this stage. The xenobiotic screening confirmed the presence of more xenobiotics in wild glass eels, prominent among them, the pharmaceuticals exemestane, primidone, iloprost, and norethandrolone.

A Simple, Efficient, Eco-Friendly Sample Preparation Procedure for the Simultaneous Determination of Hormones in Meat and Fish Products by Gas Chromatography—Mass Spectrometry

Food safety can be severely compromised by the presence of chemical contaminants. This has raised a pressing need to develop efficient analytical methods for their determination at very low levels in complex food matrices. In this manuscript, we developed a simple, sensitive, fast, green analytical method for the determination of thirteen natural and synthetic hormones from different families including progestogens, estrogens and androgens in meat and fish products. The method involves direct extraction with a (9:1) acetonitrile–water mixture and subsequent purification of the extract by semi-automated solid-phase extraction on a sorbent column (hydrophilic–lipophilic copolymer of N-vinylpyrrolidone and divinylbenzene). This treatment enriches samples with the target compounds while removing proteins, lipids and other potential interferences from their matrix for the accurate determination of the analytes by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, all within 15 min. The proposed method exhibits good linearity (r ≥ 0.996), low limits of detection (0.4–15 ng/kg), acceptable recoveries (90–105%) and relative standard deviations (≤7%); in addition, it is scarcely subject to matrix effects (1–20%). The method was successfully used to determine natural and synthetic hormones in meat and fish products from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Greece, Norway, Morocco and the USA. The analytes were found at especially high levels (30–1900 ng/kg) in mussels, beef and pork.

Simultaneous determination of 31 endocrine disrupting chemicals in fish plasma by solid phase extraction coupled with ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Solid phase extraction combined with ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the simultaneous determination of 31 endocrine disrupting chemicals in fish plasma. The strong anion exchange/primary-secondary amine cartridge and the mixed cation exchange cartridge were used in tandem instead of using a single mixed cation exchange cartridge for sample purification. Suitable eluents were selected for each of the two cartridges: 4.5% ammonia/acetonitrile solution for cartridges in tandem and acetone:n-hexane (V:V = 3:7) for the strong anion exchange/primary-secondary amine cartridge alone. With this optimized Solid phase extraction method, the recoveries of 31 endocrine disrupting chemicals were between 43.0% and 131.3%, the method detection limits were 0.45 to 1.35 ng/mL, and the limits of quantitation were 1.50 to 4.50 ng/mL. The innovative pretreatment method that connects two cartridges in tandem is well positioned to mitigate the matrix effects of fish plasma, thereby improving the accuracy of multiclass endocrine disrupting chemicals determination. The significance of this method is to facilitate the application of the fish plasma model for the environmental risk assessment of endocrine disrupting chemicals. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Survey on endocrine-disrupting chemicals in seafood: Occurrence and distribution

Currently, the presence of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in the marine environment pose а potential risk to both wildlife and human health. The occurrence of EDCs in seafood depends of several factors such as source and amounts of EDCs that reach the aquatic environment, physicochemical features of EDCs, and its accumulation in trophic chain. This review highlights the occurrence and distribution of EDCs along the seafood in the last 6 years. The following EDCs were included in this review: brominated flame retardants (PBDEs, PBBs, HBCDDs, TBBPA, and novel flame retardants); pharmaceuticals (paracetamol, ibuprofen, diclofenac, carbamazepine), bisphenols, hormones, personal care products (Musk and UV Filters), and pesticides (organochlorides, organophosphates, and pyrethroids). Some of them were found above the threshold that may cause negative effects on human, animal, and environmental health. More control in some countries, as well as new legislation and inspection over the purchase, sale, use, and production of these compounds, are urgently needed. This review provides data to support risk assessment and raises critical gaps to stimulate and improve future research.

Pollution Characteristics and Risk Prediction of Endocrine Disruptors in Lakes of Wuhan

As a new and ubiquitous trace organic pollutant, endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) can cause endocrine-disrupting effects on organisms even at low levels. However, little information is available on the resource and assessment of EDC risks in the water environment. The study area was selected based on the paucity of information on the pollution status of inland lakes. Wuhan has numerous and diverse types of lakes which receive micropollutants from different pathways. In this study, the spatial distribution, occurrence, quantity and ecological risks of EDCs in 12 lakes were investigated. Five EDCs, including 17-alpha-ethinylestradiol (17α-EE₂), estrone (E₁), β-estradiol (β-E₂), estriol (E₃) and bisphenol A (BPA) were detected in surface waters. The distribution of EDC content in the lakes was ordered as follows: exurban zone < suburban area < urban areas. The pollution sources in remote lakes mainly included agricultural and aquaculture wastewater, while those in suburban and urban areas included domestic or industrial wastewater. Areas with higher EDC content were frequently related to agricultural activities, aquaculture water or dense populations. Water quality parameters, including dissolved oxygen, pH and water temperature, were significantly related to the occurrence and distribution of EDCs in the lakes. Risk assessment demonstrated that the occurrence of EDCs posed minimum to medium risk to aquatic organisms in the lakes. The results showed that the lakes faced a threat hormone pollution though it was at lower doses and, thus, the ecological risk of EDCs should be considered in future environmental policies and decisions in China.

Method development using chemometric tools for determination of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in bottled mineral waters

A simple method was developed to determine 14 endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in bottled waters, based on dispersive micro-solid phase extraction (d-µ-SPE) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Extraction was optimized using 2 ^k-1 factorial and Doehlert experimental designs. Optimized conditions were 80 mg C18, 25 min extraction at 1000 rpm, and 6 min desorption time. Repeatability was below 17 % for all EDCs. LOD and LOQ varied from 1.60 ng L^-1 (estradiol, E2) to 23.2 ng L^-1 (dimethylphthalate, DMP) and from 5.33 ng L^-1 (E2) to 77.3 ng L^-1 (DMP). We found DMP and bisphenol A (BPA) in samples after the heat treatment. DMP was up to 58.7 µg L^-1, while BPA was up to 1.34 µg L^-1. Tolerance of daily intake (TDI) for DMP were 2.50-2.94 µg kg^-1 day^-1 (children) and 1.43-1.68 µg kg^-1 day^-1 (adults). TDI for BPA were 0.03-0.07 µg kg^-1 day^-1 (children) and 0.01-0.04 µg kg^-1 day^-1 (adults).

Pharmaceuticals, hormones, plasticizers, and pesticides in drinking water

Humans are exposed to endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in tap water via drinking water. Currently, most of the analytical methods used to assess a long list of EDCs in drinking water have been made available only for a single group of EDCs and their metabolites, in contrast with other environmental matrices (e.g., surface water, sediments, and biota) for which more robust methods have been developed that allow detection of multiple groups. This study reveals an analytical method of one-step solid phase extraction, incorporated together with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the quantification of multiclass EDCs (i.e., pharmaceuticals, hormones, plasticizers, and pesticides) in drinking water. Fifteen multiclass EDCs significantly varied in amount between field samples (p < 0.05), with a maximum concentration of 17.63 ng/L observed. Daily exposure via drinking water is unlikely to pose a health risk (risk quotient < 1). This method serves as an analytical protocol for tracing multiclass EDC contamination in tap water as part of a multibarrier approach to ensure safe drinking water for good health and well-being. It represents a simpler one-step alternative tool for drinking water analysis, thereby avoiding the time-consuming and expensive multi-extraction steps that are generally needed for analyzing multiclass EDCs.

Enzymatic probe sonication for quick extraction of total bisphenols from animal-derived foods: Applicability to occurrence and exposure assessment

A high demand exists in bisphenols (BPs) screening studies for quick, reliable and straightforward analytical methods that generate data faster and simultaneously. Herein, we describe a combination of enzymatic probe sonication (EPS) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) for quick extraction and simultaneous quantification of eight important BPs in animal-derived foods. Results obtained demonstrated that the ultrasonic probe power could not only enhance the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency, but also accelerate the liquid-liquid extraction procedure. Under optimized EPS parameters, one sample could be exhaustively extracted within 120 s, as compared with 12 h needed for the conventional enzymatic extraction which is more suitable for high-throughput analysis. The method was successfully applied to analyze residual BPs in animal-derived foods collected from Beijing, China. Widespread occurrence of BPA, BPS, BPF, BPAF, BPP, and BPB were found, with detection frequencies of 65.2%, 42.4%, 33.7%, 29.4%, 28.3%, and 27.2%, respectively. The highest total concentration levels of BPs (sum of the eight BPs analyzed, ΣBPs) were found in chicken liver (mean 12.2 μg/kg), followed by swine liver (6.37 μg/kg), bovine muscle (3.24 μg/kg), egg (2.03 μg/kg), sheep muscle (2.03 μg/kg), chicken muscle (1.45 μg/kg), swine muscle (1.42 μg/kg), and milk (1.17 μg/kg). The estimated daily intake (EDI) of BPs, based on the mean and 95th percentile concentrations and daily food consumptions, was estimated to be 5.687 ng/kg bw/d and 22.71 ng/kg bw/d, respectively. The human health risk assessment in this work suggests that currently BPs do not pose significant risks to the consumers because the hazard index (HI) was <1.