Avaliação da estrogenicidade, ecotoxicidade e caracterização de sedimentos de praias em Angra dos Reis

Abstract

The disordered population growth, the occupation of watercourses’ marginal areas and the precariousness of sanitation networks in the municipalities of Rio de Janeiro are factors that contribute to the release of pollutants, among them the endocrine disruptors (DE), in the environment. The discharge of effluents, without treatment, in the water bodies of the municipalities promotes a change in the composition of the local biota and mischaracterizes the sedimentary areas. In this context, this work aimed to carry out the physical-chemical characterization and to evaluate the ecotoxcological and estrogenic potential of sediments from the beaches, Grande and Biscaia, located in Angra dos Reis. Collections were carried out at different times of the year in order to assess the presence of the compounds bisphenol-A and the hormones 17β-estradiol, estriol (natural) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (synthetic) in this matrix. For each point collected, the following physical-chemical parameters were determined: granulometry, pH, moisture content, organic matter content and total organic carbon (TOC). Toxicity was assessed by an elutriate test exposed to the bioluminescent bacterium Vibrio fischeri. For the determination of DEs in the sediment samples and for the evaluation of the estrogenic potential, the techniques of solvent extraction in ultrasonic bath (USE) followed by extraction in solid phase (EFS) were used. The YES assay was the tool selected to evaluate estrogenic activity in sediment extracts. The results of the physical-chemical analyzes showed that the sediments of the region are more sandy, with large granules and with low content of organic matter and total organic carbon, having a characteristic of neutral pH. The estrogenicity tests in the first campaign showed cytotoxicity in 2 collection points of Praia da Biscaia and in 1 point of Praia da Biscaia in the second campaign, in the other points there was no cytotoxicity. Most points showed results below the detection limit of the method. Only in the second collection of Praia Grande, two points showed estrogenic activity (4.7 and 2.1 ng / g EqE2). The chromatography results for the first campaign were not significant. In the second campaign, two points on Praia Grande were analytically quantified, with the first identifying 2.16 ng / g of E3 and the last 1.05 ng / g of BPA. The use of elutriate to check for toxicity showed a stimulating effect on the emission of light by bioluminescent bacteria.