Some of the most insidious water pollution are chemicals that are only present in extremely small quantities.  They do not make the water appear dirty or give it a funny taste.  They are not what we commonly would think of as poisons, such as mercury.  They are not chemicals that are foreign to humans.  In fact, they are identical or similar to chemicals that our bodies produce and which are vital to human life.  The problem is that there is too much of them in our rivers and streams.

Recent studies have found estrogens and estrogen-like chemicals in our rivers from which we get our drinking water.  Estrogens are a group of chemicals which are vital for the development of female reproductive organs and mammary glands.  Males also produce small amounts, although their role in males is not well understood.  Estrogens are used in birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy.  What is not metabolized is excreted in urine and feces.  Estrogen-like chemicals are used in some soaps, several pesticides, some types of plastic, and other products.  Sewage treatment plants, which are designed to remove solid material and disease-causing bacteria, do not remove these chemicals.

A study of 123 randomly-caught fish by scientists at the University of Colorado yielded only 12 males, 101 females, and 10 “intersex” fish with both male and female tissue.  They concluded that estrogens and other estrogen-like chemicals which humans had introduced into their water were the most likely culprits.  A study of fish by the University of Pittsburgh found that some of the fish had enough chemicals in them to cause breast cancer cells to grow.  The sex of 9 of the 27 fish used in this study could not be determined as they had both male and female tissue.  Again, the researchers concluded that estrogens and estrogen-like chemicals were the most likely cause.

Of course research is continuing.  For one thing, what should the limits be? And how much do the the various sources contribute to the overall problem?  Another area of research is the effect of other chemicals, such as other pharmaceuticals and caffeine.

The real battle, though, will be in deciding how to respond.  Certain uses of these chemicals can be banned more easily than others (think birth control pills).  Treating drinking water to remove these chemicals would be extremely expensive and would still leave the problem for the wildlife.

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