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Analysis of Swine Lagoons & Ground Water for Environmental Estrogens
Impact Statement : The occurrence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in surface water is becoming of increasing concern worldwide, and has led to a growing awareness that animal, and perhaps human, health and function in ecosystems might become negatively impacted by continued release of EDCs into the environment. Some of the most potent EDCs include both natural and synthetic estrogens, which are either produced endogenously by animals or are used as pharmaceutical products in both human and veterinary medicine. Although these compounds can be degraded biologically, they have been detected in sewage treatment effluents and receiving surface waters at nanogram per liter levels. These concentrations are significant, because research has shown that male fish exposed to low nanogram per liter levels of these estrogens will exhibit estrogenic responses, such as vitellogenin production. In addition to sewage treatment plants, concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) also constitute a source for release of natural estrogens into the environment, and this impact could be significant, given that livestock can produce estrogens in large quantities and that animal wastes are generally untreated. One specific area of concern is land application of swine manure, and there is virtually no information on the release of estrogens from swine operations and the potential for impact on ground water.
Project Description/Current Status: A method was developed for analysis of low levels of natural (estradiol, estrone, estriol) and synthetic (ethynylestradiol) estrogens in ground water and swine waste lagoon effluent. The method includes solid phase extraction of the estrogens, preparation of pentafluorobenzyl derivatives of phenolic groups and trimethylsilyl derivatives of hydroxy groups, and analysis using negative ion chemical ionization gas chromatography/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry. This method is being used to evaluate the potential for ground water contamination by swine concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) through either land application of swine effluent wastewater or leakage from storage lagoons. Several lagoons and monitoring wells from each of two facilities (a nursery and a farrowing sow operation) have been sampled and analyzed for all four estrogens.
Results: For the nursery, lagoon effluent concentrations ranged from 390 to 620 ng/L for estrone, 180 to 220 ng/L for estriol, and 40 to 50 ng/L for estradiol. For the farrowing sow operation, digester and primary lagoon effluent concentrations ranged from 9,600 to 24,900 ng/L for estrone, 5,000 to 10,400 ng/L for estriol, and 2,200 to 3,000 ng/L for estradiol. Ethynylestradiol was not detected in any of the lagoon or ground water samples. Natural estrogen concentrations in ground water samples were generally less than 0.4 ng/L, although a few wells at the nursery operation showed quantifiable but low levels. These data show that swine lagoons contain significant concentrations of natural environmental estrogens, but additional work is needed to better define analytical limits and develop storage and preservation techniques for improved sample quality assurance before an assessment of the potential for ground water contamination can be made
Publications & Products:
Hutchins, S.R., M.V. White, D.D. Fine, and G.P. Breidenbach. 2003. Analysis of swine lagoons and ground water for environmental estrogens. In: Proceedings, Battelle In Situ and On-Site Bioremediation Symposium, Jun 2-5, 2003, Orlando, FL.
"Quantitation of estrogens in ground water and swine lagoon samples using solid-phase extraction, pentafluorobenzyl/trimethlsilyl derivatizations and gas chromatography -- negative ion chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry" by D.D. Fine, G.P. Breidenbach, T.L. Price and S.R. Hutchins, Journal of Chromatography A, vol. 1017, pp. 167-185., 2003. The abstract can be read and the paper purchased at: Journal of Chromatography A.
Contact Information: For more information concerning Analysis of Swine Lagoons and Ground Water for Environmental Estrogens, please contact Steve Hutchins.