Validation of a quantitative assay using GC/MS for trace determination of free and conjugated estrogens in environmental water samples

It has been shown that sewage effluent can discharge human hormones and pharmaceuticals, particularly estrogens and synthetic chemicals, which are able to disrupt animal and human endocrine systems into surface waters. Since many surface waters receive sewage effluent and are subsequently used to produce drinking water, it is of principal interest to assess their contamination level and thereby their possible public health and environmental impact. To date, no data concerning the occurrence of estrogens present in the French aquatic environment are available. We therefore developed and validated an analytical procedure, which allows simultaneous quantitative determination of three natural estrogens, 17β‐estradiol, estriol, and estrone and one of the synthetic estrogens most widely used in contraception, ethinylestradiol, in water. Water samples are extracted using solid‐phase extraction (SPE) and then separated by gas‐chromatography coupled with mass spectrometric detection. Under our conditions, detection limits of estrogens reached the pg range of injected sample, i. e. less than 0.1 ng L –1 . Conjugated estrogens were also investigated using the same procedure as described above but with a enzymatic hydrolysis preliminary step before extraction. The analysis of samples collected from four wastewater treatment plants and from surface water showed significant concentrations of estrogens ranging from 2 to 18 ng L –1 and from 0.5 to 3 ng L –1 , respectively. Furthermore, no estrogen conjugated forms were detected in the water samples.