Keywords
Steroid Hormones; River Draining into the Sea; Pollution Characteristics; Endocrine Disruption; Risk Assessment.
Abstract
The pollution distribution characteristics of 33 selected steroid hormones were investigated in Baisha River, a river entering the sea in Beibu Gulf. The detection rate of steroid hormones at 8 sites ranged from ND to 100%. The concentration ranges of estrogen, androgen, glucocorticoid, and progesterone were from ND to 2.4 ng/L (estriol), from ND to 16.05 ng/L (androsterone), from ND to 1.9 ng/L (hydrocortisone), and from ND to 1.85 ng/L (norgestrel), respectively. There were significant seasonal variations in steroid hormone concentration, with the frequency and concentration of steroid hormone were higher in dry season than in wet season. The concentration of steroid hormones in Baisha River increased from the upper reaches to the middle reaches or lower reaches and then decreased to the estuary. Compared with steroid hormones in other rivers at home and abroad, the concentration of steroid hormones in the Baisha River water body is at a medium-low level. The results of the endocrine disrupting effect analysis showed that the total estrogen toxic equivalent (EEQs) and androgen toxic equivalent (TEQs) values were greater than 1 ng/L, indicating certain estrogen/androgen activity. The rest did not produce significant estrogenic/androgenic effects. The results of the ecological risk evaluation showed that methyltestosterone (17-MT) and estrone (E1) were at high risk at some sits in the basin, while other steroid hormones were at low or no risk. This study contributes to the understanding of steroid hormone contamination in the water body of Baisar River in low urbanised and rural areas, and provides reference value for the study of steroid hormones in the Gulf river.
Citation
Ren C, Fang Q, Gao G et al, (2025) Distribution Characteris tics, Endocrine Disruption Assessment, and Ecological Risk Assessment of Steroid Hormone Pollution in Baisha River of Beibu Gulf, China. SM J Endocrinol Metab. 2025;6(1):1022.