Determinação de hormônios sexuais femininos na bacia do Alto Rio Iguaçu na região de Curitiba-PR

Abstract

Because of an increase in the amount of contraceptives used by women in recent decades, was possible to observe an increase of female sex hormones in domestic effluents. These compounds are classified into a new class of pollutants, called emerging pollutants. These pollutants have a failure of data regarding the evaluation of its effects, as well as knowledge of their sources, environmental behavior and toxic levels of concentration. In this work was determined the concentration of female sex hormones in surface waters and sediments in the basin of Alto Iguaçu, as well as the analysis was made of phosphorus and nitrogen in the locations analyzed. With the work we could perceive the anthropogenic influence in the region, mainly in the rivers Atuba and Belém, which showed significant results for the three hormones analyzed, reaching a concentration of 6,80 μg/L of estradiol in collecting made in June 2011 in the first point at Atuba river. In Belém river, the collection at April 2011 showed the highest values of hormones, reaching a concentration of 5,83 μg/L of ethinylestradiol in the first point collected, which receives high load of domestic sewage from the region. This influence of anthropogenic activity can be further evidenced by the results of the analysis of phosphorus and nitrogen, which have high concentrations in these rivers.