Alkylphenols endocrine disruption

Espejo, R., Valter, K., Simona, M., Janin, Y., and Arrizabalaga, P. (2002) Determination of nineteen 4-alkylphenol endocrine disrupters in Geneva municipal sewage wastewater. Journal of Chromatography A 976, 335-343. 

Analysis of potential endocrine disrupters, such as alkylphenols (degradation products of non-ionic surfactants), diphenolalkanes (cumylphenol, bisphenol-A, bisphenol-F) and benzophenones (from the paper industry) with RPLC-SSI-QITMS in the negative ion mode has been described [631]. 

Rudel RA, Camann DE, Spengler JD, Korn LR, Brody JG (2003) Phthalates, alkylphenols, pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and other endocrine-disrupting compounds in indoor air and dust. Environ Sci Technol 37 4543 553... 

Phenolic compounds are used in commercial or consumer products or building materials (Rudel et al., 2001), especially ethoxylated alkylphenols of octylphenol and nonylphenol, which are widely used in surfactants (Ying, Williams and Kookana, 2002). They are known as endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC) as they bear hormonally active properties. Other EDCs found indoors include phthal-ates (Section 11.2.7), certain pesticides, organotin compounds (Section 11.2.5) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (Section 11.2.8) (Rudel et al., 2001, 2003). 

Important classes of nonionic surfactants are aliphatic poly-ethoxylate alcohols (AEO), and octyl or nonyl phenol polyethoxylates (OPEO and NPEO). The alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEO) attracted special attention due to their supposedly endocrine disrupting properties (Ch. 8.3). LC-MS analysis may also involve nonylphenolethoxycarboxylates (NPEC), biodegradation products of NPEO, and halogenated analogues, generated in chlorine disinfection treatments in drinking water production plants. 

The determination of phenols was preferentially performed using GC-MS with analytes in underivatized or derivatized form, but LC-MS methods were also developed. API methods for the analysis of phenols in aqueous matrices were applied [315, 316, 317]. APCI-LC-MS was found to be more sensitive than ESI application despite the possibility of improving ESI-sensitivity by a post-column addition of diethyla-mine [317]. Detection limits were observed with 0.02-20 ng injected onto the column. The determination of alkylphenols and bisphenol A as compounds with endocrine disrupter potential was also performed by ESI-LC-MS from aqueous [318, 319] and sediment samples with detection limits in the low pg L range [346]. 

A wide range of organic chemicals (mostly synthetics, including certain additives and plasticisers - snch as phthalates, bisphenol A, and nonylphenols - all used as additives in plastics) are snspected potential ECD agents. The list of ECD also inclndes pesticides (such as DDT, which is banned) and many industrial and consnmer products - such as, liquid soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and hair colours - that contain alkylphenol ethoxylates (APE, which have been replaced by the more expensive, but much safer, alcohol ethoxylates). In addition, there are polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), dioxins, certain preservatives and metal ions, and even certain treated woods suspected as endocrine disruption agents in hnmans based on (limited) animal stndies, (see Table 2.2). Synthetic oestrogens are the focns of cnrrent concern for ECD there are certain natnral... 

Endocrine disrupting compounds Alkylphenols, alkylphenol ethoxylates, steroids, and bisphenol A... 

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