Progestagens for human use, exposure and hazard assessment for the aquatic environment

Little information is available on the environmental occurrence and ecotoxicological effects of pharmaceutical gestagens released in the aquatic environment. Since eighteen different gestagens were found to be used in France, preliminary exposure and hazard assessment were done. Predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) suggest that if parent gestagens are expected to be found in the ng l⁻¹ range, some active metabolites could be present at higher concentrations, although limited data on metabolism and environmental fate limit the relevance of PECs. The biological effects are not expected to be restricted to progestagenic activity. Both anti-androgenic activity (mainly for cyproterone acetate, chlormadinone acetate and their metabolites) and estrogenic activity (mainly for reduced metabolites of levonorgestrel and norethisterone) should also occur. All these molecules are likely to have a cumulative effect among themselves or with other xenoestrogens. Studies on occurrence, toxicity and degradation time are therefore needed for several of these compounds.