Endocrine Disruption
in the Marine
Environment
Mike Waldock
Cefas Weymouth Laboratory
Barrack Road Weymouth
Dorset. UK DT48UB
mike.waldock@cefas.co.uk
Background to EDC
• First identified from eggs and sperm in the same
tissue – intersex fish in UK rivers
Background to EDC
Measurements of Yolk protein in male fish blood
1000000
100000
10000
1000
100
10
1
0
20
40
Before
60
After
80
Identification of causative
substances
OH
C H3
C
OH
C H3
CH
HO
OH
ET HYNYL OEST RADIOL
OEST RADIOL
O
C H3
2
HO
1.5
OEST RONE
1
0.5
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Testing the effects on fish
Vitellogenin in male trout exposed to oestrone
and 17ß oestradiol
100000000
*
10000000
*
1000000
Initial
Final
100000
10000
1000
100
10
C
6.25
12.5
25
50
oestrone (ng/l)
100
25
E2
25/25
oes/E2
Testing the effects on fish
Testing the effects on fish
Vitellogenin in Male Trout Exposed to
Octylphenol and 17 ß oestradiol
*
100000000
*
10000000
*
1000000
Initial
Final
100000
10000
1000
100
10
C
MC
1
10
OP µg/l
100
1
10
E2 ng/l
100
List of compounds
Compounds: Ethyl estradiol
(the pill) natural female
hormones, industrial
chemicals non-ionic
surfactants, phthalates,
bis phenol A, pesticides
and biocides (metabolites
DDE)
Effects: Estrogens – male to
female. Androgens femaleto male. Anti-androgens,
anti-estrogens.
Could there be a problem in the
open sea?
• Flounder work
showing
decreasing
trends
Tyne (Hebburn)
100000000
10000000
VTG
1000000
• Sewage related
decreasing problem
100000
10000
1000
100
10
96
97
99
00
00
01
01
TBT
• Antifouling on yachts 60’s- 80’s and on ships to
date
TBT
• Good example of
endocrine
disruption before
we called it ED.
TBT
NORTH SEA
IRISH
SEA
BRISTOL CHANNEL
ENGLISH CHANNEL
TBT levels are decreasing and
effects reducing
Shetlands
monitorin
g by FRS
ICES Workshop and Cod
• Cod placed in cages
At 500m from platforms
– 5 fold increase in VTG
in male cod
At 2000m – background
levels
Produced water discharges
• Largest wastewater stream
in offshore oil & gas
production (~ 340 x 106 m3
yr-1).
• Complex composition:
– small amounts of dispersed oil
– dissolved organic compounds
(including h/c)
– organic acids
– phenols
– production chemicals
– inorganic compounds
ER agonists identified in PW
• Isomeric mixture of C1 to C5 and C9 alkyl substituted
phenols (APs).
OH
OH
OH
OH
OH
OH
OH
OH
OH
ni
an
No
Platform
Al
b
Br
ae Da a
lm
A
en
No
lp
y
rth ha
S
er
o
u
n
Pr th
No od
rd uce
ic
r
Ap
ol
l
Pr
F
oc oin o
ed
av
ur
en
al
Bl
an
k
Pi
pe
Be r
ry
Sc
l
hi
eh A
al
lio
n
Sa
lti
Br
en re
tD
el
ta
He
w
O
S
Ba ett
48 I
nf
f(
/2
Ra 9A
m
ET form
AP
)
(C
PF
Gr
)
y
Su pho
n
llo
m
Vo
Cl
e
Al aym
ba
or
No e
rth
er
n
rt
An h
dr
A
No lwy ew
rth n N
Co ort
rm h
or
M ant
o
Fo ntr
o
rti
es se
Br
M
ag Mu avo
nu
rc
h
s
Pr iso
od n
uc
tio
n
Ni
100
• Cod
work trends with age
In vitro ER agonist potency (ng E2 /l)
Is it enough to affect cod?
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
VTG in the plasma of male cod
180
160
Shetland Box
140
Iceland
Irish Sea
g/ml)
m
VTG µg/ml
120
North Sea
100
80
60
VTG (
40
20
0
0
20
40
60
80
100
Body length (cm)
Scott and Thain CEFAS (unpublished data)
120
Results to Present
• Widespread induction in large cod
• Lower but significant induction in prey fish – dab
• Next steps to identify the causes (TIE)
Conclusions
• Endocrine Disruption is present in the open sea at low
levels.
• TBT related specifically to antifouling paint use on
shipping and is being controlled
• Effects on fish are unlikely to be from sewage discharges
of hormones because dilution would be too great
• Inputs from produced water seem to be only weakly
estrogenic
• The relationship with the size of the fish suggests that
the effect is due to compounds bioaccumulating up the
food chain