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| 2007 | ||
| Fish with Hormonal Imbalances - 2007 | ||
Fish with Hormonal Imbalances – The Growing Concern of CECs in the Rio Grande RiverBy Jack Bruce |
2007 Article Links Benefits of ASM Membership |
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An unusual trend is emerging among a number of male fish south of Albuquerque; they are developing female parts. This anomaly stems from minute concentrations of estrogen found in birth control pills and other chemicals originating from recycled wastewater. These abnormalities are known as endocrine disruptions. The endocrine system regulates distribution of hormones throughout blood circulation, yet, with the introduction with foreign hormones, such as estrogen, the system begins acting irregularly. Even though diluted to a very small concentration, estrogen can still throw the endocrine system off balance and increases susceptibility to microbial infections and also cause physical alterations in fish. Side effects of endocrine disruption include abnormal reproduction, change in immune system, neurological problems, and tumor growth. Although originally believed to be a problem from flushing prescription drugs down the drain, local experts now believe a number of endocrine disruptors, such as birth control, reach the river regardless of how they are disposed. Steve Glass, Lab Program Manager for the Southwest Water Reclamation Plant in Albuquerque, New Mexico, states that our bodies only absorb roughly a fourth of the medication we take. We evacuate the remaining 75% out the body and into the city sewer system. Once it reaches the treatment facility, the wastewater undergoes several purification steps and recycles the water back into the Rio Grande at safe drinking levels.
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Although free of any disease spreading microorganisms, it carries with it the excess in estrogen and other substances too small to filter out. Because medicine and pharmaceutical drugs can potentially devastate local wildlife at such low concentrations (ng/L to µg/L), the EPA labels them as Chemicals of Emerging Concern (CEC). Not just limited to birth control, CECs include chemotherapy drugs, anti-depressants, pesticides, personal hygiene products, and fragrances. A few methods to remove some of the chemicals in wastewater exist, but they cost entirely too much money, require too much manpower, and cut back tremendously on time and effort spent for wastewater recycling. The dilemma originates more with people’s attitudes. How do you persuade chemotherapy patients to stop taking their medication and risk their survival in order to save a few fish in the river? How do you convince every young woman to stop taking her birth control? The answer: don’t even bother. Wastewater treatment needs more microbiologists and manpower in order resolve the issue without gouging taxpayers. Raising awareness about endocrine disruption serves as the only starting point for finding a clear-cut resolution to the predicament. Jack Bruce is a Senior studying English and Environmental Science at the University of New Mexico. |
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Rio Grande Branch of the American Society for Microbiology |