Análise da contaminação em águas superficiais por esgotos domésticos em rios intermitentes do semiárido brasileiro.

Abstract

Female hormones, natural and synthetic, are produced in large concentrations in urban areas, proportional to the population. These hormones are released into domestic sewage in natura and/or without proper treatment at sewage treatment plants. Small concentrations of these compounds can cause some harm to human and environmental health, but they can be used to monitor the contamination of bodies of water by domestic sewage. The present study aimed to verify the occurrence of female sex hormones as a parameter for the evaluation of urban water contamination in intermittent rivers of the brazilian semi-arid region. For this, water samples were collected between 2016 and 2017, treated and concentrated for analysis. the occurrence of natural hormones 17β-estradiol, estrone, estriol and the synthetic hormone 17α-ethinyl estradiol in water samples collected in artesian wells and in urban raw sewage along the Sucurú river and Pedra Comprida stream, Sumé City. The analyzes were performed in high-performance liquid chromatography, in reverse phase (RF-HPLC). In the collected water samples, the presence of the estrone and estriol hormones were detected and quantified, with their concentrations varying according to some climatic and meteorological factors, such as precipitation and temperature. In all wells along the five collections performed, at some time, some of the estriol and/or estrone hormones were detected, except in the raw sewage. The results showed the highest concentrations in the second third and fourth collections, with 299.47 ng/L, 224.61 ng/L and 216 ng/L, respectively, in distinct wells, and the influence of rainfall on these occurrences. These results suggest the importance of water monitoring, as well as the search for viable alternatives to prevent the contamination of water bodies, vital in this ecosystem.