Automated Determination of Human Hormones in Drinking Water

Thermo Fisher Scientific has released a new technical note which demonstrates the complete recovery of human hormones from drinking water. Technical Note 148: Automated Extraction and Determination of Human Hormones in Drinking Water uses our newly released polymeric sorbent extraction cartridges (Thermo Scientific™ Dionex™ SolEx™ SPE HRPHS cartridges) on our solid-phase extraction instrument (Thermo Scientific™ Dionex™ AutoTrace 280 instrument) for the determination of human hormones. The SPE instrument can reduce solvent and labor costs by up to 90% in sample preparation of large-volume samples for organic analysis when compared to liquid-liquid extraction. The SPE cartridges allow high recovery of hydrophobic targets.

The presence of hormones (from both natural and artificial sources) in drinking water is a human health concern. Due to the widespread use of hormones in pharmaceuticals, they often end up in the sewage system as a result of excretion and disposal of unwanted quantities. Additionally, hormones from livestock waste can find its way into drinking water sources.

The European Parliament has identified several estrogen variants as priority substances that will be monitored to determine appropriate measures to address the risk posed by these compounds. Several hormones are routinely monitored as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring program. These hormones include estriol, estrone, estradiol, ethynylestradiol, equilin, androstenedione, and testosterone.

This application note and many others can be found at www.thermoscientific.com/dionex under the Documents tab.