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Investigating The Endocrine Disrupting Potential Of The Effluent-Dominated Assabet River, Kasie M. Auger
Investigating The Endocrine Disrupting Potential Of The Effluent-Dominated Assabet River, Kasie M. Auger
Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
The Assabet River located in eastern Massachusetts receives treated wastewater
discharges from four major municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs): Westborough, Marlborough, Hudson and Maynard. In periods of low flow, up to 95% of the Assabet River is wastewater effluent. Chemical analyses have shown that municipal wastewaters can contain estrogenic and dioxin-like compounds. Estrogenic compounds such as the natural estrogen 17β-estradiol (E2), the synthetic estrogen 17α-ethinyl estradiol (EE2), and the industrial compound nonylphenol (NP) can induce vitellogenin (VTG) and lead to feminization in male fish. CYP1A1-inducing compounds such as the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) can produce …