Assessment of endocrine disrupting chemicals in water and sediment samples from British Columbia, Canada

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) can interfere with the endogenous hormone system that leads to adverse health effects in the exposed population of wildlife and humans. Thus, the objective of the present study was to identify and quantify four different classes of EDCs, i.e. estrogens, androgens, glucocorticoids and aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonists in the water and sediment samples from 22 sites in British Columbia. All sites were bodies of water that are impacted by agricultural and/or urban activities. Samples were collected during the dry and rainy periods at each sampling location. EDC levels were higher in sediment than in water across all sites. The highest activity was found using the glucocorticoid assay compared to the other two steroid hormone assays. Chemical analysis was performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry on a subset of samples to identify specific compounds in the mixture. The chemicals identified were 17β-estradiol, estrone, bisphenol A and dehydroabietic acid. Findings from this study may be used as benchmark levels for future studies in the same region.