Investigation of the presence and endocrine activities of pesticides found in wastewater effluent using yeast-based bioassays.

This study investigated the presence of a variety of pesticides (herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides) in effluent of three wastewater treatment plants as well as their endocrine activities using yeast-based in vitro assays. Although the presence of these contaminants of emerging concern is frequently reported to be present throughout the environment, their presence in wastewater treatment plants has been seldom studied. Of the 18 compounds investigated in this study, imidacloprid was the only compound not detected in all three WWTPs. Concentrations measured ranged from 3ng/L to 27μg/L for fluconazole. The yeast estrogenic and yeast androgenic screen assays were performed on target compounds in order to investigate their endocrine disruption and potential environmental risks to receiving waters. It was found that of the 14 compounds investigated 12 showed either antiestrogenic or antiandrogenic activity and seven compounds showed pleiotropic effects. In addition to confirming endocrine activities of pesticides using the yeast-based assays this study is one of the first to report activities for novel compounds including three neonicotinoids.