Due to the continuous development of synthetic substances, we are surrounded by chemicals that find their way into surface and groundwater and ultimately into our drinking water via various routes. Wastewater treatment plants are only partially able to remove the abundance of synthetic compounds from wastewater. Among other things, pharmaceutical residues, X-ray contrast agents, hormones and endocrine disruptors end up in drinking water. Due to the high dilution factor, the concentrations of the individual trace substances in drinking water are usually orders of magnitude too low to pose a health risk to humans. However, this does not apply equally to all substances. Even at very low concentrations, endocrine disruptors have an impact on the hormone system of living organisms. Hormones are significantly involved in many processes in the body. These include organ development, reproduction and mood. Endocrine disruptors are very similar in structure to hormones, which means that they act in a similar way to hormones and can trigger reactions in the organism. Endocrine disrupting chemicals therefore disrupt hormonal communication between cells and can have profound effects on our health. Endocrine disruptors are associated with reproductive disorders, immune disorders, obesity, cancer and other diseases. A prominent example of the sometimes dramatic effects that hormone-like substances can have on the environment is the increased formation of female individuals in fish observed downstream of municipal or industrial wastewater treatment plant effluents.

With the further development of the limits of quantification of analytical methods, it is now possible to detect even the smallest quantities of trace substances in drinking water. Endocrine disrupting chemicals are found in many everyday consumer products. The best-known endocrine disruptors include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), plasticisers such as phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), dioxins, PFCs, PFOS, PBDEs and the insecticide DDT. Many of these EDs are chemically persistent and accumulate in the environment and in organisms. Due to their hazardous properties, endocrine disruptors may only be authorised and marketed in exceptional cases. The European Union's chemicals regulation REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) provides for hazard-based regulation of EDs.

However, it is difficult to assess the risks posed by ED. This is mainly due to the fact that knowledge about the function of the hormone system and its differences in sensitivity is still limited. In addition, there is the possibility that effects may occur with a time delay and mainly appear in sensitive phases of life and only become visible in subsequent generations. Furthermore, the EDs (that are known at all) have very low effect concentrations, which may be amplified by additive effects with a large number of endocrine-disrupting chemicals already present in the environment.

Further basic research is required to protect against possible harmful effects of ED intake. In addition, test and limit values for drinking water must be constantly adapted to the latest findings. The amended EU Drinking Water Directive, which came into force on 12 January 2021, provides for further adjusted limit values and new requirements for substances with endocrine disrupting effects. In addition, further approaches must be pursued to reduce the entry of EDs into drinking water. Substances with endocrine effects must be identified and, if possible, excluded from use. In addition, further treatment stages in wastewater treatment plants are conceivable to supplement conventional wastewater treatment. By researching and monitoring drinking water quality, drinking water can be preserved as a protected resource in the long term.

Here you will find the links to the sources used:

www.bund.net
www.umweltbundesamt.de
www.chemsec.org

Image sources/authors:
https://www.tagesspiegel.de
"PHOTO: FOTOLIA", supplemented with structural formulae of the best-known EDs.

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