Chemicals of emerging concern in marine biota: presence of estrogenic chemicals in bile of English sole from Puget Sound, WA

Abstract

Marine waters near urban centers receive frequent inputs of chemicals that are emerging as threats to ecological and human health referred to as chemicals of emerging concern (CECs). Priority lists of CECs include some endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) such as natural and synthetic estrogens; 17β-estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), estriol (E3), and 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2), as well as the industrial phenolic compounds [e.g., bisphenol A (BPA), octylphenol (OP) and nonyphenol (NP)]. Recent information on the levels of these EDCs in water indicates that they may pose a risk due to their widespread occurrence and their potential estrogenicity, affecting growth, development and reproduction of marine fish. Although limited data are available on exposure concentrations of EDCs in biota of marine ecosystems, recent studies in Puget Sound have reported measurable levels of selected EDCs in bile of male English sole that are correlated with abnormal reproductive cycles and elevation in plasma vitellogenin levels in this benthic species. To determine the baseline levels of these chemicals in marine fish and increase our knowledge of EDC exposure in Puget Sound, we applied a recently developed method for quantitative analysis of a larger suite of EDCs (i.e., E1, E2, E3, EE2, BPA, OP, NP) in bile of male and female English sole collected at 10 different sites, including urban, near-urban and non-urban sites. Concentrations of EE2, OP and NP were below the limit of quantitation (1.5, 15 and 15ng/mL of bile, respectively) in fish bile whereas BPA was detected in most samples collected throughout Puget Sound. Higher mean levels of the natural hormones E1, E2, E3 were found in bile from both male and female sole collected in the urban and near-urban sites. Determining the ranges of biliary concentrations of these EDCs in marine fish from Puget Sound will provide information on environmentally-relevant concentrations for follow-up laboratory exposure studies and is a critical first-step in defining thresholds of concerns for these CECs in marine fish