Field study using two immunoassays for the determination of estradiol and ethinylestradiol in the aquatic environment

The effluent of four sewage treatment plants (STP) and eight surface water samples from the river Rhine in Germany and two smaller rivers were monitored for the hormones estradiol (E2) and ethinylestradiol (EE2). The studied STPs are using different treatment processes. Two facilities include an activated sludge treatment, one is a constructed wetland, and one is just an aerated lagoon. For analysis of E2 and EE2 in the aquatic environment two immunoassays have been developed allowing a very cost-effective screening for both hormones in environmental samples. Detection limits could be established at 0.05 ng L−1 for E2 and 0.01 ng L−1 for EE2, taking a 50-fold enrichment into account. Median concentrations for E2 and EE2 in effluent samples were 12 and 1.8 ng L−1, in surface water 4.0 and 0.7 ng L−1, respectively. The highest estrogen concentrations were found in the effluent of the lagoon, equipped with very basic means of wastewater treatment.