Environ. Sci. Technol. 2006, 40, 7896-7902
Occurrence of Estrogenic Compounds in and Removal by a Swine Farm Waste Treatment Plant T A K U M A F U R U I C H I , * ,† KURUNTHACHALAM KANNAN,‡ KAZUYOSHI SUZUKI,§ SHUZO TANAKA,† J O H N P . G I E S Y , |,⊥,# A N D SHIGEKI MASUNAGA@ Asian Center for Environmental Research, Meisei University, 2-1-1 Hodokubo, Hino, Tokyo, 191-8506, Japan, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, and Department of Environmental Health Sciences, State University of New York at Albany, Empire State Plaza, P.O. Box 509, Albany, New York 12201-0509, Pollution Control Laboratory, National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, 2 Ikenodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0901, Japan, Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences and Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7K 3J8, Canada, Center for Coastal Pollution and Conservation, Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China,; Department of Zoology, National Food Safety and Toxicology Center and Institute for Environmental Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, and Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, 79-7 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya, Yokohama, 240-8501, Japan
The total estrogenic activity of the wastewater from a swine farm in Japan was quantitatively characterized, and the compounds responsible for the estrogenic activity were identified and quantified. The wastewater treatment process consisted of a series of an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) and a trickling filter. Samples were collected at each treatment step, and the total estrogenic activity was determined by use of an in vitro gene expression assay (MVLN; MCF-7 human breast cancer cell stably transfected with the pVit-tk-LUC receptor plasmid). Individual estrogenic compounds were identified and quantified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ MS/MS). To further identify the compounds contributing to the estrogenic activity in the wastewater, the sample extracts were fractionated into 12 fractions (fractions 1-12) by HPLC. The rate of removal of estrogenic activity between the effluent and the influent was greater than 97%. The trickling filter removed the majority of the estrogenic activity. The removal rates of specific estrogenic compounds ranged from 44 to 99%. Estrogenic activity was detected mainly in the fractions containing estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (βE2), 17R-estradiol (RE2), estriol (E3), * Corresponding author phone and fax: +81-42-591-5517; email:
[email protected]. † Meisei University. ‡ Wadsworth Center and State University of New York at Albany. § National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science. | University of Saskatchewan. ⊥ City University of Hong Kong. # Michigan State University. @ Yokohama National University. 7896
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / VOL. 40, NO. 24, 2006
bisphenol A (BPA), and equol (EQO). The ratios of βE2EQC (βE2 equivalents derived from chemical analysis) to βE2EQB (βE2 equivalent derived from bioassay) in the 12 fractions collectively were contributed by E1 (17-30%), βE2 (23-30%), RE2 (
