Analysis of Bio-Obtainable Endocrine Disrupting Metals in River Water and Sediment, Sewage Influent/Effluent, Sludge, Leachate, and Concentrated Leachate, in the Irish Midlands Shannon Catchment

Table 1

Oestrogenicity of metals (data amalgamated from Choe, Martin, and EPA).

Compound/metal	Relative potency	Limit (𝜇g/L) for drinking water (EPA Ireland) S.I. No. 278/2007	Limit (𝜇g/L) for hard surface water (EPA Ireland). Water quality dangerous substances S.I. No. 12/2001	Maximum value for conc. of metals in sludge for use in agriculture (mg/kg) S.I. No. 267/2001	Limit of detection (ng/L) of the AAS method	Sources
Oestradiol	1	No data	N/A	No data	N/A	An endogenous natural hormone.
Ni	1	20	50	300	2.4	Catalysts, by-product of industrial processes.
Mn	0.91	50	N/A	No data	0.4	Power plants, coke ovens.
Cd	0.74	5	N/A	20	0.8	Tobacco, burning coal, plating effluent.
Zn	0.66	3000 (abstraction level)	100	2500	0.8	Dyes, wood preservative, alloys.
Co	0.29	No data	N/A	No data	2.0	Paint drier, colour pigment, car/aeroplane exhausts.
Pb	0.27	10	10	750	5.6	Mining, ore processing, smelting, refining, recycling, and disposal.
Cr	0.27	50	30	No data	2.0	Tanneries, by-product from steel manufacture or anodising plants.
Hg	0.27	1	N/A	16	N/A	Metal smelters, batteries, cement manufacture.
Cu	0.2	2000	30	1000	0.4	Plumbing, smelting operations.