Ecological risks of phenolic endocrine disrupting compounds in an urban tropical river

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2019-07, Vol.26 (21), p.21589-21597
• Main Authors: Inam, Edu J., Nwoke, Ima B., Udosen, Essien D., Offiong, Nnanake-Abasi O.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 4-tert-Octylphenol; Algae; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Bisphenol A; Contaminants; Disruption; Drinking behavior; Drinking water; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Endocrine disruptors; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Nonylphenol; Organic contaminants; Phenolic compounds; Phenols; Quotients; Research Article; Rivers; Sampling; Sediments; Surface water; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-05458-7

The distribution of emerging organic contaminants in drinking water sources in Africa is a subject with very scanty data and information. In order to fill knowledge gaps, we report here the distribution and potential ecological risks of three phenolic compounds (bisphenol A (BPA), 4-nonylphenol (NP), and 4- tert -octylphenol (OP)), which have been previously identified to have the potential of endocrine disrupting activity, in surface water and sediment of the New Calabar River. The compounds were quantified using GC-MS. At all sampling sites, a similar concentration pattern of BPA > NP > OP was recorded, with the exception of Choba sampling station in which the levels of these endocrine disrupting compounds were low or undetectable. The levels of BPA in surface water ranged from 1.20 to 63.64 μg/L, whereas those of NP and OP ranged from