Simple sensor for detecting oestrogen in the environment

Researchers from Victoria University of Wellington have developed a technique that can detect minute levels of oestrogenic hormones - molecules with the potential to affect human and animal reproductive cycles - in the environment.

Dr Justin Hodgkiss, from the university’s School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, noted, “When oestrogen is in the wrong place at the wrong time, it can be harmful to living organisms including humans.” He added, “It is not uncommon for water in many countries ... to be recycled. We have no idea how much oestrogenic material is in there.”

Professor Ken McNatty, from the School of Biological Sciences, added that additives that increase plasticity in everyday items, such as drink bottles, containers and rubbish bags, can accumulate over time and behave like oestrogen. But to measure these items repetitively and quickly is very expensive, he said, and the only way to measure the amount of oestrogen in water is to send a sample to a lab for analysis.

Now, Professor McNatty and Dr Justin Hodgkiss, along with PhD students Shalen Kumar and Omar Alsager, have developed sensors that will add to knowledge about the presence of oestrogenic hormones in the environment. Professor McNatty said the sensors are simple to use.

“Anyone in the field, such as a regional council officer or water board inspector, could add a sample to the test vial and, if oestrogen is present, the sensor will change colour, giving a yes or no answer, in just a few minutes,” he said.

Results from the first part of the research, focused on detecting oestrogen, have been published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics. The team will focus next on refining the sensitivity of the sensors to provide information on exactly how much oestrogen is present and expanding them to target other molecules.

“There are a wide range of applications for this versatile technology,” said Dr Hodgkiss. “Our research will provide an invaluable tool for further research into oestrogen, and other harmful molecules, in the environment.”