R.Boonyatumanond, A.Jaksakul, S.Boonchalermkit, P.Puncharoen, M.S. Tabucanon

Environmental Research and Training Center, Thailand

Contamination by Endocrine Disruptor Compounds (EDCs) in the environment has been recognized as an important pollution problem. These compounds originate from industrial products or industrial wastes in the form of PCBs, dioxins, pesticides including organochlorine, phenols, phthalates, etc. In order to identify the situation of EDC contamination, the Environmental Research and Training Center has cooperated with the United Nations University (UNU) to establish the monitoring program for EDCs in the coastal hydrosphere of Thailand during 1999 - 2002. This is part of the UNU project on Environmental and Governance: EDC Pollution in the East Asian Coastal Hydrosphere.

In 2001 forty-eight samples of water were collected from rivers and sea along the coastal area in the upper gulf
of Thailand. The samples were analyzed for organochlorine pesticides, phenol compounds and phthalate compounds, following the UNU method. The results indicated that organochlorine pesticide residues detected were of dieldrin, with recovery of 90-105%, which were lower than the water quality standard. The phenol compounds detected were 4-t-butylphenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, 4-nonylphenol and bisphenol-A, with recovery of 85 - 95%. The phthalate compounds detected were di-n-butyl phthalate, di- 2-ethyl hexyl adipate and di-2-ethyl hexyl phthalate with recovery of 85 - 95%.

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