Sorption of the natural endocrine disruptors, oestrone and 17β-oestradiol in the aquatic environment

Adsorption of hydrophobic contaminants at the particle/water interface is one of the key processes controlling their fate in the aquatic environment. The sorption of the natural female hormones oestrone and 17β-oestradiol has been studied under simulated riverine conditions. Both the kinetics and the effects of varying fundamental environmental parameters (e.g. sediment properties) on the thermodynamic equilibrium partition coefficient (K_p) have been studied in continuous and batch sorption experiments, respectively. Results showed that the sorption of oestrone and 17β- oestradiol by sediment was relatively slow, reaching equilibrium in 50 days. In addition, relatively small adsorption of both oestrone and 17β-oestradiol onto the sediment was observed, with K_p values between 200 and 250 mL g^-1. The comparable K_p values of the two compounds reflect their structural similarity. It can be concluded that the two endocrine disruptors, oestrone and 17β-oestradiol remain primarily in association with the aqueous phase.