Natural Estrogens in the Surface Water of Shenzhen and the Sewage Discharge of Hong Kong

ABSTRACT Despite the fact that estrogens cause hormonal disturbances in aquatic organisms, few studies on the estrogen contamination in our surface waters have been conducted. This study was thus conducted (1) to investigate the level of estrogens in the surface waters in Shenzhen and (2) to examine the estrogen levels in the sewage discharges in Hong Kong. Total estrogens (estrone E1, estradiol E2, and estriol E3) in the samples taken from two reservoirs, five rivers, and thirty sampling locations of the seawater in Shenzhen were measured by using ELISA kits. The preliminary results have revealed that the level of estrogens in the surface waters of Shenzhen is generally higher than that in the similar water bodies in well-developed nations. Sewage could be the major source of the estrogen contamination in these waters. The total estrogens levels in the Xili and Shenzhen Reservoirs were in a range of 3–11 ng/L with a mean value of 7 ng/L, where that in four rivers in Shenzhen were found to be 47–90 ng/L a...