Estrogens are known to be potent endocrine disrupting chemicals that are commonly found in wastewater effluents at ng/L levels. Yet, we know very little about the distribution and fate of estrogens in coastal oceans that receive wastewater inputs. This study characterizes, for the first time, a wide range of steroidal estrogens in sewage-impacted seawater using a novel ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) method together with the method of standard addition. In Massachusetts Bay, which receives large treated wastewater inputs from the city of Boston, we find conjugated, free, and halogenated estrogens at concentrations that are consistent with dilution at sites close to the sewage source. At a site 6 miles downstream of the sewage source, we observe estrone (E1) concentrations (0.5 ng/L) that are nearly double the nearfield concentrations despite 9-fold dilution of carbamazepine, which was used as a conservative sewage tracer. Our results point to background E1 concentrations of 0.2 � 0.3 ng/L, derived largely from sources unrelated to wastewater effluent.

Steroidal estrogen sources and fate in a sewage-impacted coastal ocean, Massachusetts Bay, USA

247th National Meeting (2014)

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