Assessing the potential of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals through greywater reuse practices in Ghana: a scoping review

Abstract

Environmental endocrine disruption, resulting from exposure to hormone-active chemicals in environmental samples, poses a significant public health risk through wastewater handling and reuse. Despite extensive surveillance globally of both health and environmental impacts, the presence of endocrine disrupting chemicals in water and wastewater has been understudied in Ghana, where greywater is commonly reused in the home. In this study, a scoping review of 87 studies was conducted to determine the most critical greywater pollutants in Ghana, greywater reuse practices, and the prevalent endocrine disorders in Ghana. Next, an in silico tool (VirtualToxLab) was used to evaluate the binding of greywater contaminants (n = 59) to 12 target proteins involved in environmental endocrine disruption to assess endocrine disrupting potential. Results showed pollutants found in greywater bound moderate to strongly to receptors involved in reproductive and metabolic disorders. Analyzing the most probable source of the pollutant (from the bathroom, kitchen, laundry), bathroom-sourced pollutants were found to exhibit the highest risk of endocrine disruption due to the presence in personal care products. This evaluation was used to assess the potential for greywater reuse considering source separation as well as the possible relationship between endocrine disorders in Ghana and exposure to greywater contaminants. Further in vivo and in vitro research into the most critical pollutants is crucial for developing effective removal technologies to treat greywater and protect public health in Ghana.