Application of animal manure to agricultural land has been identified as the main source of estrogens in the environment. This is of growing concern as the number of concentrated animal feeding operations(CAFOs) increases particularly in the United States. Poultry and cow manure contains free and conjugated forms of the natural estrogens17β-estradiol(β-E2) and estrone(E1) which can leach into the aquatic environment during runoff. Although, E1 is less estrogenic thanβ-E2, environmentally relevant levels of E1 causes feminization of male fish due to the ability of fish to convert E1 to β-E2.  Our study focuses on the comparison of the degree of mineralization, fate and changes of the endocrine disrupting potential of E1 in a simulated poultry litter and cow manure runoff. A radioactive <sup>14</sup>C-labeled E1 was used to determine the degree of mineralization E1 in poultry litter matrix. <sup>14</sup>C - E1 was spiked in the matrix of poultry litter and water to mimic runoff from poultry litter applied in farms. A time-course study was conducted by aerating the matrix with humidified air for 7 days. Samples were collected through-out the time course and analyzed for its radioactivity using liquid scintillation counter. Another set of exposures was also performed using poultry litter and cow manure matrix spiked with a non-radioactive E1 standard and samples are analyzed using LC-MS/MS.  Results show that aerobic microorganisms found in poultry litter was able to mineralize the estrogen present in the simulated water runoff; however, this was not observed in the cow manure. In the cow manure exposure experiment, it was observed that around 15% of E1 were also found in the suspended solids after exposure suggesting that estrogens were not only dissolved in water but are also sorbed in the sediment. This research is important to fully understand the fate and transport of estrogens in aquatic systems and in assessing its estrogenic effect on aquatic animals as demonstrated by feminization of male fish.

Estrone in aquatic systems in the presence of poultry litter and cow manure: Determination of its fate, degree of mineralization, and changes in its endocrine disrupting potential

256th National Meeting (2018)

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