Meeting Abstract
Though the Amazon rainforest is one of the most biodiverse regions on that planet, several species are being put at risk due to the introduction of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). EDCs are exogenous agents that have been known to impact species’ physiology in various ways. Identifying chemicals that are present in rainforest watersheds is critical in understanding and assessing environmental health. This study focuses on estrogen mimics and disruptors that can be found as either natural or synthetic compounds and have the potential to alter endocrine function. Explored in this study are various locations within the Las Piedras watershed in the Peruvian Amazon to determine exposures and potencies of chemicals across disturbed gradients. Sampling ranged from main waterways with presumably high anthropogenic influence to pristine aquatic ecosystems within the jungle. Thirty-eight samples were analyzed using HPLC and mass spectroscopy in efforts to identify the type of disruption and sources of introduction.
