ARS | Publication request: Sorption, fate, and transport of endogenous steroid hormones in soils

Submitted to: American Chemical Society Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: November 15, 2006
Publication Date: March 25, 2007
Citation: Hakk, H., Casey, F., Larsen, G.L. 2007. Sorption, fate, and transport of endogenous steroid hormones in soils. Meeting Abstract. American Chemical Society Abstracts, March 25-29, 2007, Chicago, IL.

Technical Abstract: The natural hormones 17 beta-estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) are present in animal manures that are applied to agricultural land as fertilizer and, potentially, may act as endocrine disruptors. Laboratory incubation, batch, and column experiments have been conducted on a series of soils and were used to interpret three years of field observations. In general, hormones were strongly bound to soil, and sorption of E2 and T could be correlated with organic matter and particle size. Lab incubation experiments indicated that degradation was primarily microbial. Transport of E2 and T was minimal in both disturbed and undisturbed soil columns. Variable concentrations of both hormones were detected in field lysimeters and wells. The field soil was sandy, subject to high water table fluctuations and periodic anaerobic conditions, and all affected hormone detections. It is hypothesized that E2 present in animal waste would have the potential to persist under anaerobic conditions in sandy soil and have limited mobility but that E2 and T would degrade under aerobic conditions.