Reduction of alkali-labile phosphates in mussels exposed to primary-treated wastewaters undergoing ozone and ultraviolet disinfection: A pilot study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the estrogenic potential of a primary municipal effluent, undergoing ozone or ultraviolet disinfection, in Elliptio complanata mussels. Mussels were exposed for seven weeks, using a continuous flowthrough system, to a primary effluent from a major city before and after disinfection. Results showed that the effluents, regardless of the disinfection procedure, readily affected gametogenesis in mussels as determined by gonado-somatic index, and by DNA synthesis as determined by the activity of aspartate transcarbamoylase activity, a rate-limiting enzyme for pyrimidine synthesis. The estrogenic potential of the effluents was observed by the increased levels of alkali-labile phosphate, a generic measure for vitellogenin-like proteins, where the disinfection procedures did not completely remove the estrogenic effects of the primary effluent. Thus, the introduction of an ozone or ultraviolet disinfection step to a primary-treated effluent will likely diminish the estrogenic potential, but not entirely. © 2009, CAWQ.