Huang Yeru, Shi Junhui, Zhou Li, Di Yian and Quan Hao
China-Japan Friendship Center for Environmental Protection

Recently, increased scientific and public attention has focused on the potential effects of synthetic chemicals on the hormones, or endocrine, systems of humans and wildlife. The endocrine system consists of the glands and the hormones they produce that help guide the development, growth, reproduction and behavior of humans and animals. The reported abnormalities due to the hormone disrupting chemicals or endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) are not only abnormalities of sex differentiation and sex steroid hormone system synthesis, infertility and cancer, but also death of infectious disease in various animals due to immunodeficiency and behavioral abnormality due to brain disorder. Monitoring of pollution levels and distributions of EDCs in various compartments of the environment should be the first step towards tackling the problem of EDC contamination.

Since 1999, China-Japan Friendship Center for Environmental Protection has been working with the United Nations University (UNU)'s project entitled "EDC Pollution in the East Asian Coastal Hydrosphere-Endocrine Disrupting Compounds in Water". The focus of this monitoring in 2001 is on compounds that are suspected to be EDCs. The targeted compounds include phthalates, adipate, bisphenol-A and alkyl phenols (such as 4-t-butylphenol, 4-n-butylphenol, 4-n-pentylphenol, 4-n-hexylphenol, 4-n-heptylphenol, 4-t-octylphenol, 4-n-octylphenol and 4-nonylphenol, etc.). As always, 2,4-dichlorophenols, Pentachlorophenol and organo-chlorinated pesticides such as DDT, DDE and BHCs were also monitored for the same water samples.

Sampling. Bohai Sea, South Sea, East Sea, Huanghai Sea and Dalian Bay were selected as sampling sites. Seawaters were sampled in 2001 both in summer and winter.
Sample preparation and analysis. Samples collected in glass bottles were transported to the laboratory within 24hrs and stored at 4? in refrigerator. Extractions were carried out within 24hrs generally. Final solutions were stored at ?35? in freezer.
The samples were analyzed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GC-MS). The analysis was performed with a Shimadzu QP-5000 GC-MS (Japan) equipped with a Shimadzu AOC-17A auto injector (Japan). 30m ´0.32mm i.d. DB-1 and DB-5 (film thickness 0.25?m)(J&W Scientific, CA, USA) fused-silica capillary columns were used for the analysis of targeted EDCs.

Results and Discussion
1. Reappearance test for 20ng/ml standard solution of phthalates and adipate. Good precision of determination and low detection limits for all target compounds of phthalates and adipate were obtained.
2. Analysis of recovery test (20ng/ml) for phthalates and adipate. It was shown that 89?109% of recoveries for all target compounds cab be achieved.
3. Analysis of blank test for phthalates and adipate.Good blank test result was obtained in our laboratory.
4. Sample analysis. Samples collected for EDCs determination were analyzed by the methods described in the manuals provided by the UNU.

Similar to the results of last two years, highest concentrations of BHCs were still detected in Bohai Sea, the most heavily polluted coastal areas in China. BHCs were the first major pollutants in this region. The total concentration of BHCs varied from 77.6 to 141.7ng/L. In addition, DDE, DDD and DDT were detected in some of seawater samples without evident seasonal differences. It was found that most water samples were polluted by bisphenol-A, alkylphenols (such as 4-t-butylphenol and 4-nonylphenol) and chlorinated phenols (including 2,4-dichlorophenol and pentachlorophenol). The polluting distribution of them in different maritime regions varied significantly. 4-Nonylphenol had the highest concentration in all samples, changed from 34.2 to 490.7ng/L. Meanwhile, 4-n-butylphenol, 4-n-pentylphenol, 4-n-hexylphenol and 4-n-octylphenol could not be detected in all seawater samples.
Low concentrations of three phthalates (i.e. diethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate and di 2-ethylhexyl phthalate)(from 0.011 to 4.87?g/L) were detected in all of the seawater samples. Di 2-ethylhexyl adipate was only found in some of seawater samples. Its concentration distributed from N.D. to 0.094?g/L. As a result, no obvious pollution caused by phthalates and adipate was monitored.

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