Environmental Project, 977 – Survey of Estrogenic Activity in the Danish Aquatic Environment

Survey of Estrogenic Activity in the Danish Aquatic Environment

Preface

The Danish Environmental Protection Agency has had a series of projects carried out since first addressing the issue of hormone disruption in the 1995 workshop on Male Reproductive Health and Environmental Chemicals with Estrogenic Effects (Environmental project no. 290). Most recent activities include the projects on Feminisation of fish, an Evaluation of in vitro methods for the determination of estrogenic effects, an evaluation of chemical analysis, a study on degradation and sorption of estrogens, and an evaluation of the occurrence of xenoestrogens and estrogens in wastewater.

The present Survey of Estrogenic Activity in the Danish Aquatic Environment was tendered in the fall of 2003 and awarded to a Consortium of four Danish institutes and companies: the Department of Environment and Nature of the consulting company COWI (lead), the Environmental Chemistry Department at the Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Ecotoxicology group at the University of Southern Denmark and the Analytical Laboratory Eurofins Denmark.

The division of labour and the participants in the study were as follows:

Planning, sampling and reporting: Jesper Kjølholt, Linda Høibye, Søren Hinge-Christensen, Frank Stuer-Lauridsen (COWI);
Chemical analysis and data treatment: Flemming Ingerslev, Martin Hansen, Kristine Andersen Krogh, Henrik R. Andersen, Bent Halling-Sørensen (DFU);
Biological assay: Poul Bjerregaard, Bente Frost (SDU);
Sample pretreatment and chemical analysis: Nis Hansen, Benny Køppen (Eurofins).

The study was carried out from December 2003 to December 2004, and it was steered by a Committee with the following members:

Danish Enviromental Protection Agency:
Inge Vibeke Aaen (member and chairman until September 15^th 2004)
Jørgen Larsen (chairman from September 15^th 2004)
Line W. Hollesen (until 30^th March 2004)
Lis Morthorst Munk (from 1^st April 2004).'

Danish Medicines Agency: Steen Kristensen
DANVA: Kim Rindel and Hanne Katrine Andersen.
Danish Institute for Food and Veterinary Research: Anne Marie Vinggaard.
Danish Regions: Rikke Clausen.

COWI: Frank Stuer-Lauridsen (project manager), Jesper Kjølholt.
Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences: Bent Halling-Sørensen.
University of Southern Denmark: Poul Bjerregaard.
Eurofins Denmark: Nis Hansen.

The Steering Committee members have provided valuable guidance and information in the course of the project, and are thanked for the contribution. Also a great number of individuals in the county administrations, at the municipal waste water treatment plants and local property owners have assisted significantly to the survey by identifying the proper sites and provide the sampling team with access to the nearly 150 locations. The great efforts provided to the study are highly appreciated.