Endocrine Disrupting Contaminants in Water Resources and Sewage in Hamadan City of Iran

Many chemicals which are released into the environment have the potential to disrupt the function of endocrine systems. They pose a growing threat to human and wildlife health. These chemicals have been characterized as endocrine disrupting chemicals. Some phenolic chemicals, such as bisphenol A, have been measured in surface water, sediments and sewage sludge. The objective of this study was to investigate endocrine-disrupting agents in drinking, surface and groundwaters sources and also sewage in the city of Hamadan, in the west of Iran. Samples from all sources were collected during April-September and October-March, extracted by solid phase method and analyzed by HPLC-UV in the wave length of 270nm for estrol, 210 nm for ethinyl estradiol and 280 nm for other compounds. The results showed that presence of bisphenol A with concentrations ranging 0.002 to 1μg/L, 0-0.002 μg/L in drinking and groundwaterfor nonylphenol and 0.001 10ng/L for 17-beta estradiol. Estron was not detected in drinking water during October-March. The concentration levels of pollutants in wastewater were tens times higher than the water. Analysis of different types of water showed that concentration levels of pollutants were higher during April-September comparing with October-March (Pvalue <0.005), which may be due to the changes of environmental conditions. The widespread use of birth control pills formulated with these potent estrogenic chemicals appear to be the major route for the release of estrogenic substances into the aquatic environment.