MONITORING OF CONTAMINATION OF URBAN SURFACE WATERS IN THE CITY OF CAMPO GRANDE/MS BY HORMONES 17β-ESTRADIOL AND 17α-ETHINYLESTRADIOL USING DISPERSIVE LIQUID-LIQUID MICROEXTRACTION AND HPLC-UV

Abstract

Studies have shown that hormones have endocrine disrupting properties, which characterize them as potentially toxic to the aquatic environment. This study aims to monitor the water along Prosa Stream/Anhanduí River monthly, to evaluate its contamination by the hormones 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2). Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) was used for analyte extraction, with acetone as a disperser solvent and carbon tetrachloride as the extraction solvent, followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV) as the analytical tool. The results of this application in natural samples indicated the presence of the natural hormone E2 in approximately 72% of the points evaluated, with its concentration values between 48 µg L-1 and 175 µg L-1. In contrast, it was not possible to quantify the concentrations of synthetic hormone EE2, as these values were below the detection limit of the analytical method applied. Even though there is no national environmental legislation that limits amounts of hormones in surface water, these contaminations are significant, due to their already known toxicological potential. It was evident that along the river from its origin to the exit of the city there was the appearance and increase of the contamination of the waters by the hormone E2, thus it is clear that the urbanization around the rivers has become an environmental and health problem for providing the contamination of the aquatic environment.