<p>This study aimed to characterize the impact of treatment infrastructure upgrades on the occurrence of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) discharged by a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent and their subsequent effects on fish endocrine function. This site has been evaluated before and after two major upgrades in wastewater treatment infrastructure, which were implemented in 2007 and 2012. Our study assessed the potential impacts on the Boulder Creek receiving water, as well as identified and evaluated the extent of estrogenic endocrine disruption in the native fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) that may be occurring after the implementation of the 2012 upgrade. We conducted an integrative, 8-week, on-site, continuous-flow, exposure experiment using adult male fathead minnows to assess in vivo estrogenicity of the WWTP effluent water, relative to reference water and results from prior years (both pre- and post-upgrade). We collected data for a wide array of biological endpoints. Results for plasma vitellogenin concentrations and sperm development were emphasized. It was found that in vivo effluent estrogenicity following the 2012 upgrade was insignificant in comparison to pre-upgrade levels. However, the occurrence of an extreme flood event in the Boulder area resulted in the detection of some significant effluent estrogenicity, indicating that such conditions may impact the ability of WWTPs to effectively remove estrogenic EDCs from the effluent.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:1605078 |
| Date | 16 December 2015 |
| Creators | Baroffio, Angelina Free |
| Publisher | University of Colorado at Denver |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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