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Title: DETERMINATION OF NONYLPHENOL ETHOXYLATES IN CARP, WATER AND SEDIMENT SAMPLES FROM CUYAHOGA RIVER

Author
item SCHMITZ-AFONSO, ISABELLE - USDA/FAS
item Rice, Clifford
item LOYO-ROSALES, JORGE - UNIV. OF MARYLAND

Submitted to: Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC)
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/20/2002
Publication Date: 11/20/2002
Citation: Schmitz-Afonso, I., Rice, C., Loyo-Rosales, J.E. 2002. Determination of nonylphenol ethoxylates in carp, water and sediment samples from cuyahoga river. 23rd SETAC Annual Meeting. Salt Lake City, UT, November 2002. pg. 93.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPnEOs) are surfactants and emulsifiers frequently used in commercial products including industrial and home cleaning products. They are sometimes used as formulating agents for agrochemicals. Nonylphenol ethoxylates are naturally degraded to shorter chain NPnEOs and nonylphenols (NPs). The pattern of degradation products can be used to as a source marker. NPnEOs and NPs residues have been found in river waters and in sediments and have been shown to accumulate in fish. Some evidence exists that suggests that these compounds may have endocrine disruption activity. Residues have been found to accumulate in fish and have been shown to have endocrine disruption activity. Most of the reports for nonylphenols in fish in US tributaries and lakes lack enough information to identify possible sources. The objective of our study was to evaluate NPs and NPnEOs in water, sediment, and in carp along 84 miles of the Cuyahoga River which discharges into Lake Erie. Water and sediment were sampled at 8 different sites together with 12 carp samples at each site. Water was extracted by ENV+ solid-phase extraction, sediment by accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) with hexane/acetone followed by an aminopropyl cartridge cleanup, and carp by ASE with dichloromethane followed by an aminopropyl cleanup. Quantitation was accomplished using GC/MS, liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and LC/ESI-MS/MS. NP, NP1EO and NP2EO were found to occur at above detection limits in most of the carp samples with a total varying from 0.04 ug/g to 1 ug/g, depending on the sampling site. As expected, the highest concentrations were observed downstream of a wastewater treatment plant. This correlates with increase in water concentration. The sediment contamination was more disparate with values up to 1 ug/g.