Report: Intersex Fish Warning Sign for Potomac
"Toxic stew" forming in Potomac River
By PATRICK MADDEN WAMU 88.5 NEWS
Updated 7:00 AM EDT, Thu, Nov 12, 2009
Researchers at a local non-profit say hormone-disrupting chemicals are seeping into the Potomac River and creating a "toxic stew" for fish and other wildlife.
Their names are exotic: biphenol, atrazine, estradiol. But these chemicals are found in everyday products: plastic drinking bottles, weed-killers, birth control pills.
And, according to the Potomac Conservancy, when these and thousands of other chemicals drain into the Potomac through run-off and treated sewage, the resulting compounds can wreak havoc on a fish's hormonal and sexual development.
A federal study in April found 80 percent of small mouth bass in the Potomac had both male and female characteristics. Potomac Conservancy President Hedrick Belin said these intersex fish are "a canary in the coal mine."
"These new pollutants, they don't set our rivers on fire, they don't wash up on shore, we don't see them or smell them, but this intersex fish development is a clear signal that something is wrong," Belin said.
The report said its not clear what impact these chemicals have on humans. Ninety percent of the area's drinking water comes from the Potomac.
Listen to the complete story at wamu.org
Copyright 2009 WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright WAMU
First Published: Nov 12, 2009 5:43 AM EDT
You Might Like
You have 2000 characters left
