Calibration of estrogen uptake by circulating flow system with Empore disks

Alena Otoupalíková, Jakub Urik, Zdeněk Šimek, Branislav Vrana

Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment


Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) presented in the environment include wide range of naturally
compounds and synthetic chemicals. Some of them are estrogenic compounds frequently founded in
water matrix, especially wastewater and surface water. In fact, most of conventional WWTPs are not
designed to completely eliminate these compounds.

For the improving of ecological status of all surface water bodies is the central objective of the
European Water Framework Directive (WFD). The WFD has defined environmental quality criteria called
Environmental Quality Standards (EQSs). In Europe, the proposed annual average EQS give 35 pg/L for
17α-ethynylestradiol and 400 pg/L for 17ß-estradiol [1].

As a successful approach for monitoring the water quality within a legislative framework the
combination of passive sampling with sensitive analytical techniques can be considered. The
objective of the study was to determine the uptake parametres of selected steroid hormones in
passive samplers with Empore Disks. To describe an uptake process of compounds from water to a
passive sampler the parameters such as sampling rates (R[s]) and sampler-water distribution
coefficient (K[sw]) have to be calibrated. For this research, a circulating flow system developed
in our laboratory was used. Sampling rates specific for each compounds were calculated using the
parameters fitted after the LC-MS-MS.
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[1] Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directives
2000/60/EC and 2008/105/EC as regards priority substances in the field of water policy