Assessment of environmental estrogens and the intersex/sex reversal capacity for chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in primary and final municipal wastewater effluents

A trickling filter/solid contact (TF/SC) biological secondary treatment plant with chlorine disinfection serving a suburban population of 740,000 was assessed for environmental estrogens. Weekly grab samples were taken at established sampling points and analyzed for various pertinent environmental estrogens including industrial chemicals, and natural and synthetic steroidal estrogens. Additionally, human estrogen receptor (hER) activity and capacity to elicit intersex/sex reversal for the wastewater was monitored using a recombinant yeast assay and whole fish exposures, respectively. hER activity levels varied from 76 to 106 ng/L E2 equivalents in the primary effluent, and were reduced by 25% by biological treatment. For the primary and final effluent no evidence of sex reversal or intersex was apparent in any of the treatment groups (1%, 3%, 10%, or 100%) based on genetic sex determinations and histological examination of the gonads in alevin from 28 d exposed chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) eggs.