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Organic Sewage Tracers. Sterols are components of cells & are synthesized by most organisms In humans cholesterol is biohydrogenated by intestinal microflora to 5 b- cholestrol Other animals also produce 5 b- cholestrol but at much lower concentrations
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Organic Sewage Tracers • Sterols are components of cells & are synthesized by most organisms • In humans cholesterol is biohydrogenated by intestinal microflora to 5b-cholestrol • Other animals also produce 5b-cholestrol but at much lower concentrations • Herbiverous animals produce 24-ethyl coprostanol in greater concentrations Sterol structure
Assessment of Faecal Contamination Using Sterol Molecular Markers Attenborough Ponds Nature: Long Term Effects of River Diversion
Conneries dating 1986 ? 1963 ?
Resolving co-elution Sediment Sample TIC coprostanol m/z = 333 Cholesterol-d6 m/z = 231 Coprostan-3-one m/z = 329 Cholesterol m/z 333 m/z 231 m/z 329 Identification of Sewage Markers Target mix 5b-epicoprostanol coprostanol fucosterol + b-sitosterol 17b-estradiol 5a-cholestane 5a-cholestanol stigmasterol estrone campesterol 5b-stigmastanol Environment & Human Health Theme
Ten of eleven sewage marker • compounds were identified • in the Attenborough cores • 5-cholestane not detected
Sterol & Stanol Marker Pathways Environmental (5) Intestinal (5)
2 1 3 • Sitosterol: Clifton and Church = Input from plants & or avian FM • Stigmastanol: Conneries = Input from ruminants / manure, slurry ? • Coprostanol: Concs. >0.5ug/g = received appreciable amounts of sewage
Coprostanol/Cholesterol: human sewage >0.2 criteria= Only Conneries • Coprostanol/(Coprostanol+Cholestanol) human sewage >0.7= Conneries • Epicoprostanol/coprostanol:treatment or age in environ. =Church & • Clifton little sewage or high degree of treatment
1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 Bi-plot of sewage marker compounds Low sewage, old or treated High sewage, untreated
Ratio 5Cholestanol/Cholesterol:anaerobic process marker • Conneries possible more reducing environ at 20 to 50 cm ?