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Don't Get That Detergent on Me

Newspaper current event by gnifyus on 09 June 2007, tagged as ecology, bio, and chemistry

By mimicking the hormone estrogen, compounds found in many detergents and household cleaners are "feminizing" male fish. The synthetic compounds, known as nonyphenols, which can get into streams and rivers via runoff and sewer systems are causing male fish to develop both male and female organs, claims Ed Hopkins, the director of the Sierra Club's environmental quality program. "When we find these kinds of responses in the aquatic environment, it's not a good sign for people, and we need to be very cautious," Hopkins said.

Major companies such as Proctor & Gamble have stopped using the chemicals, and Wal-Mart has asked its suppliers to phase out the chemicals as well.

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Smallmouth in the Potomac River by ldsudduth :: NR7 :: on 09 June 2007

This has been an issue for years; back in 2002, the USGS found sex-change fish in the Potomac River. The sources of these endocrine disruptors can be flame retardants, soap, cleaners, deodorants or antiperspirants, fungicides, pesticides and many other commonly used chemicals.

From this article:

Endocrine disruptors work like biological disinformation campaigns. Sometimes mimicking natural hormones like estrogen, they alter other hormone concentrations. The disruptors can either prevent or weaken the normal cell-signaling process.

The fish found are males that are displaying premature egg cells, resulting in what is called an 'intersex' fish. Up to 79% of fish examined have had these sexual abnormalities; caused by an overabundance of estrogen.

Our 'chemical society' has only itself to blame for this. Estrogen is used in many places--from Birth Control Pills to Hormone Replacement Therapy for Menopausal women. These chemicals are not removed in then normal Wastewater Treatment process; so they are released into the water. Our drinking water treatment also does nothing to take care of these chemicals because the process focuses only on removing certain biological hazards and turbidity.