Justitia
Fri, January 19th, 2007, 03:04 PM
There was a discussion a while back on whether it was worth it to pay the extra to get organic foods, fish caught in wild, etc. and so forth.
I am a very strong advocate of doing so and it is first on my priorities of where to allocate my living expenses.
Another aspect I have strongly advocated is drinking bottled water that is either from a known spring or water source, or heavily purified and tested. I have been drinking bottled water for over 25 years.
I commented on one of the threads about how "intersex" fish, i.e., fish with both male and female traits have been found increasingly in the Potomac River and its tributaries which suggested that there were increased estrogens flowing in the water. I do not live far from the Potomac and there is always the possibility of the water getting into my water supply. And if this is found in the Potomac, this does not preclude it being found elsewhere.
Though the reports that came out about the intersex fish said that there was nothing people to worry about because the quantity of estrogen was too small to have an impact on creatures the size of humans.
Of course, I don't buy that -- but I would never drink the water anyway. I don't even in restaurants any more -- I always ask for at least carbonated water from the tap and more often, bottled water.
Well, the below was just published by AP newswire service. It seems the source of the increased estrogen levels in the Potomac is due pesticides having seeped into the water, one pesticide is actually banned in the US but is in the Potomac anyway. These pesticides induce increased estrogen production.
I just thought people here would like to know about this.
Pesticide Found in Mutated Fish, Potomac
From Associated Press
January 19, 2007 12:45 PM EST
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Several chemicals, including one banned in the U.S., have been found in the Potomac River and its tributaries where pollution is suspected of causing some species of male fish to develop female sexual traits, scientists said.
Water samples taken at eight sites in West Virginia and blood plasma from small mouth bass were analyzed as part of an investigation into the increase of so called "intersex fish" in which males produce immature eggs in their testes, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
A study released Wednesday said pesticides, flame retardants, personal-care products and a banned fungicide were identified in the water or the fish.
Certain chemicals and pesticides are believed to stimulate estrogen production. Hormones produced by an organism's endocrine system govern sexual and reproductive characteristics.
"Endocrine disruptors of this type may contribute to the high percentage of male smallmouth bass found in the Potomac that exhibit female characteristics," the USGS said.
Potential sources of contamination include wastewater treatment plants, runoff from agricultural activities and industrial wastewater, the report said.
Further studies are planned to determine whether endocrine disruptors interfere with the reproduction and development of aquatic life, the USGS said.
The Environmental Protection Agency has been studying the issue of endocrine disruptors since 1996, but does not issue guidelines to water treatment plants for allowable levels of estrogenic compounds.
I am a very strong advocate of doing so and it is first on my priorities of where to allocate my living expenses.
Another aspect I have strongly advocated is drinking bottled water that is either from a known spring or water source, or heavily purified and tested. I have been drinking bottled water for over 25 years.
I commented on one of the threads about how "intersex" fish, i.e., fish with both male and female traits have been found increasingly in the Potomac River and its tributaries which suggested that there were increased estrogens flowing in the water. I do not live far from the Potomac and there is always the possibility of the water getting into my water supply. And if this is found in the Potomac, this does not preclude it being found elsewhere.
Though the reports that came out about the intersex fish said that there was nothing people to worry about because the quantity of estrogen was too small to have an impact on creatures the size of humans.
Of course, I don't buy that -- but I would never drink the water anyway. I don't even in restaurants any more -- I always ask for at least carbonated water from the tap and more often, bottled water.
Well, the below was just published by AP newswire service. It seems the source of the increased estrogen levels in the Potomac is due pesticides having seeped into the water, one pesticide is actually banned in the US but is in the Potomac anyway. These pesticides induce increased estrogen production.
I just thought people here would like to know about this.
Pesticide Found in Mutated Fish, Potomac
From Associated Press
January 19, 2007 12:45 PM EST
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Several chemicals, including one banned in the U.S., have been found in the Potomac River and its tributaries where pollution is suspected of causing some species of male fish to develop female sexual traits, scientists said.
Water samples taken at eight sites in West Virginia and blood plasma from small mouth bass were analyzed as part of an investigation into the increase of so called "intersex fish" in which males produce immature eggs in their testes, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
A study released Wednesday said pesticides, flame retardants, personal-care products and a banned fungicide were identified in the water or the fish.
Certain chemicals and pesticides are believed to stimulate estrogen production. Hormones produced by an organism's endocrine system govern sexual and reproductive characteristics.
"Endocrine disruptors of this type may contribute to the high percentage of male smallmouth bass found in the Potomac that exhibit female characteristics," the USGS said.
Potential sources of contamination include wastewater treatment plants, runoff from agricultural activities and industrial wastewater, the report said.
Further studies are planned to determine whether endocrine disruptors interfere with the reproduction and development of aquatic life, the USGS said.
The Environmental Protection Agency has been studying the issue of endocrine disruptors since 1996, but does not issue guidelines to water treatment plants for allowable levels of estrogenic compounds.