{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,16]],"date-time":"2026-05-16T18:49:40Z","timestamp":1778957380238,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,30]],"date-time":"2025-10-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1761782400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Toxics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The contamination of ground and surface waters with micropollutants like estrogenic compounds and genotoxins is a major public health concern. Conventional wastewater treatment plants are currently not capable of completely removing those contaminants. In this study, we applied planar bioassays to investigate the genotoxicity and estrogenic activity of hospital and municipal wastewater from an Austrian treatment plant. Using the open-source 2LabsToGo platform in combination with the HPTLC-SOS-UmuC and HPTLC-YES assays, both genotoxic and estrogenic compound zones were detected in untreated wastewater. Genotoxic activity was found in sewage sludge filtrate and hospital wastewater, with bioanalytical concentrations ranging from 1.6 to 21.8 \u00b5g 4-NQO-EQ L\u22121. Estrogenic responses were observed in the influent and hospital wastewater samples, with BEQ values between 3.5 and 16.0 \u00b5g E2-EQ L\u22121. No activity was detected in the treated effluent, indicating efficient removal of these compounds during wastewater treatment. These results confirm the presence of biologically active micropollutants in hospitals and raw wastewater and demonstrate the suitability of planar bioassays for sensitive, spatially resolved detection. The use of portable equipment like the 2LabsToGo system suggests that on-site monitoring of estrogenic and genotoxic activities in wastewater is feasible and could support routine surveillance of treatment efficiency.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/toxics13110936","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,31]],"date-time":"2025-10-31T05:28:43Z","timestamp":1761888523000},"page":"936","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Assessment of Estrogenic and Genotoxic Activity in Wastewater Using Planar Bioassays"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Markus","family":"Windisch","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Diagnostic and Research Institute of Hygiene, Microbiology and Environmental Medicine, Diagnostic and Research Center for Molecular Biomedicine, Medical University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Valentina","family":"Rieser","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Diagnostic and Research Institute of Hygiene, Microbiology and Environmental Medicine, Diagnostic and Research Center for Molecular Biomedicine, Medical University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8472-2155","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Clemens","family":"Kittinger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Diagnostic and Research Institute of Hygiene, Microbiology and Environmental Medicine, Diagnostic and Research Center for Molecular Biomedicine, Medical University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"449","DOI":"10.1089\/109287503768335931","article-title":"Pharmaceuticals, Personal Care Products, and Endocrine Disruptors in Water: Implications for the Water Industry","volume":"20","author":"Snyder","year":"2003","journal-title":"Environ. 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