TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessing population-level stress through glucocorticoid hormone monitoring in wastewater
AU - Driver, Erin M.
AU - Gushgari, Adam J.
AU - Steele, Joshua C.
AU - Bowes, Devin A.
AU - Halden, Rolf U.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors
PY - 2022/9/10
Y1 - 2022/9/10
N2 - Stress is oftentimes overlooked in societies, despite its life-threatening impact. Here, we assessed the feasibility of measuring endogenous stress hormones to estimate population-level stress by wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). Two primary glucocorticoids, cortisol and cortisone, were monitored in wastewater by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), to assess changes in these physiological markers of stress in a student population (n = 26,000 ± 7100) on a university campus in the southwestern U.S. Daily composite samples were collected for seven consecutive days each month during the Fall (Autumn) 2017 and Spring 2018 academic semesters (n = 134). Reproducible weekly patterns were seen in stress hormone excretion, with the highest levels occurring on Mondays (124 ± 44 μg d−1 per person) and Tuesdays (127 ± 54 μg d−1 per person) and the lowest on Sundays (87 ± 32 μg d−1 per person). Stress levels on weekdays (defined by class schedules Monday-Thursday) were significantly higher than on weekends (p < 0.05). During both Fall and Spring semesters, per person stress levels of these hormones were significantly higher (p < 0.05) during the first two months of each semester, 162 ± 28 μg d−1 per person (August), 104 ± 29 μg d−1 per person (September), 180 ± 14 μg d−1 per person (January), and 114 ± 54 μg d−1 per person (February) than in the remaining measured weeks in the semester, including finals week captured in both semesters. Overall Spring semester stress levels (113 ± 45 μg d−1 per person) were significantly higher than the Fall (94 ± 42 μg d−1 per person), p < 0.01. This study is the first to demonstrate the utility of endogenous biomarkers, specifically glucocorticoid hormones, to monitor population health status (in this instance community stress) in near real-time by wastewater assessments.
AB - Stress is oftentimes overlooked in societies, despite its life-threatening impact. Here, we assessed the feasibility of measuring endogenous stress hormones to estimate population-level stress by wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). Two primary glucocorticoids, cortisol and cortisone, were monitored in wastewater by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), to assess changes in these physiological markers of stress in a student population (n = 26,000 ± 7100) on a university campus in the southwestern U.S. Daily composite samples were collected for seven consecutive days each month during the Fall (Autumn) 2017 and Spring 2018 academic semesters (n = 134). Reproducible weekly patterns were seen in stress hormone excretion, with the highest levels occurring on Mondays (124 ± 44 μg d−1 per person) and Tuesdays (127 ± 54 μg d−1 per person) and the lowest on Sundays (87 ± 32 μg d−1 per person). Stress levels on weekdays (defined by class schedules Monday-Thursday) were significantly higher than on weekends (p < 0.05). During both Fall and Spring semesters, per person stress levels of these hormones were significantly higher (p < 0.05) during the first two months of each semester, 162 ± 28 μg d−1 per person (August), 104 ± 29 μg d−1 per person (September), 180 ± 14 μg d−1 per person (January), and 114 ± 54 μg d−1 per person (February) than in the remaining measured weeks in the semester, including finals week captured in both semesters. Overall Spring semester stress levels (113 ± 45 μg d−1 per person) were significantly higher than the Fall (94 ± 42 μg d−1 per person), p < 0.01. This study is the first to demonstrate the utility of endogenous biomarkers, specifically glucocorticoid hormones, to monitor population health status (in this instance community stress) in near real-time by wastewater assessments.
KW - College campus
KW - Cortisol
KW - Cortisone
KW - Stability study
KW - Students
KW - Wastewater-based epidemiology
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85130971462&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155961
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155961
M3 - Article
C2 - 35588803
AN - SCOPUS:85130971462
SN - 0048-9697
VL - 838
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
M1 - 155961
ER -