Comparison of Steroid Hormone Concentrations in Domestic and Hospital Wastewater Treatment Plants |
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Authors: | B Pauwels H Noppe H De Brabander W Verstraete |
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Affiliation: | 1Doctor, Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET), Dept. of Bio-engineering Science, Ghent Univ.-UGent, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. E-mail: http://labmet.ugent.be 2Doctor, Laboratory of Chemical Analysis, Research Group of Veterinary Zoonoses, Dept. of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent Univ.-UGent, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. 3Professor, Laboratory of Chemical Analysis, Research Group of Veterinary Zoonoses, Dept. of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent Univ.-UGent, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. 4Professor, Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET), Dept. of Bio-engineering Science, Ghent Univ.-UGent, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium (corresponding author). E-mail: willy.verstraete@ugent.be
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Abstract: | Influent and effluent samples originating from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) (treating hospital wastewater and domestic wastewater, Belgium) have been analyzed in order to estimate their steroid hormone content. The natural estrogens estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), and the synthetic 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) together with other steroid hormones progesterone (P) and testosterone (T) metabolites were detected in these samples. The hormone concentrations in both the hospital and the domestic WWTP samples were not significantly different and ranged from <0.2?ng EE2/L to 114?ng EE2/L, from <0.2?ng E1/L to 58?ng E1/L and from <0.2?ng P/L to >100?ng P/L. E2 was detected once at a concentration of 17?ng/L. In the domestic WWTP which comprises a conventional activated sludge treatment in parallel with a membrane bioreactor, no differences in estrogen removal efficiency could be observed for both treatments. In comparison to chemical analysis data, the Yeast Estrogen Screen (YES) appears to underestimate the influent estrogen concentrations, probably due to influent toxicity for the YES. Effluent estrogen concentrations, on the other hand, were overestimated by the YES test, probably due to the presence of other estrogenic compounds in the effluent. |
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Keywords: | Wastewater management Health care facilities Water treatment plants |
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