A Survey of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) in Marine Sediments, Influents/Effluents and Biosolids in Vancouver Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs)

The objective of this study was to apply a panel of yeast bioassays in the quantification and identification of chemicals from 4 different classes of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in marine sediments and wastewater samples from Vancouver wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In wastewater, estrogenic activity and AhR activity was detected in the ng/L range, while no glucocorticoid or androgenic activity was detected. There was also an observed general reduction in the estrogenic and AhR activity due to wastewater treatment. In marine sediments, estrogenic activity was detected in the ng/g range for 39% of samples, while AhR activity was detected in the µg/g range in 49% of samples. GC-MS analysis of select samples identified bisphenol A (BPA) in both wastewater and marine sediments, while dehydroabietic acid (DHAA) was found in only marine sediments. Overall, the yeast bioassay is a useful tool for use in biomonitoring of EDCs.