Trace Analysis of Five Androgens in Environmental Waters by Optimization of Enzymolysis and Solid‐Phase Extraction Ultra‐Performance Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry and its Risk Assessment.

This article focuses on the development and optimization of a sensitive analytical method to simultaneously detect five androgens—androstenedione, boldenone, methandienone, nandrolone, and testosterone—in wastewater treatment plant influent and surface water samples from Guangzhou, China. Using optimized enzymatic hydrolysis with β-glucosidase and solid-phase extraction (SPE) techniques, the study achieved high recovery rates (90%–99%) and low matrix effects, enabling accurate quantification of these steroid hormones at trace levels. All five androgens were detected in both wastewater and surface water, with concentrations indicating medium to high ecological risks in influent and low to medium risks in surface water, assessed via the risk quotient (RQ) method. The Ecological Structure Activity Relationships (ECOSAR) model predicted that synthetic methandienone exhibited the highest acute and chronic toxicity to aquatic organisms, while natural androstenedione showed the lowest, underscoring the importance of monitoring and further research on environmental androgen contamination and its ecological impacts.