March 18, 2008
Chemicals That May Cause Intersex Fish Identified
By now, everyone knows that some fish in the filthy Potomac River have developed both male and female reproductive systems. They've been dubbed "intersex" by the media, and we've all had a nervous laugh about how the pollution we've poured into the river is probably to blame for creating the first ever bi-gendered fish. Whoops! How were we to know?
Well the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments sponsored a conference in West Virginia last week to discuss which pollutants are the ones responsible. The Post sent a reporter, and he came back with a list of scary-sounding chemicals that all could be the sort of "endocrine disruptors" causing the hormonal changes seen in these Potomac fish. Here's some of the potentially dangerous chemicals scientists have found in the Potomac:
- Atrazine, an herbicide commonly used on farm fields.
- Chlorpyrifos, an insecticide.
- Endosulfan, an insecticide.
- Metolachlor, an herbicide.
- Tonalide and galaxolide, two chemicals used to add fragrances to perfumes and soaps.
The repercussions for human health are also unclear. At the Washington Aqueduct, the agency that turns river water into tap water for the District, Arlington County, Falls Church and parts of Fairfax County, the treatment process is not designed to remove the chemicals.So to recap, the water we drink from the tap comes from the Potomac River. It's processed, but it's not processed to remove these chemicals that are probably causing male fish to start growing eggs. And you can bet your Brita filter doesn't help on this, either.
Who's thirsty?
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We're all doomed!
It's always comforting to know what's causing cancer these days.
I thought that the chemical that made things antibacterial also did this to fish. My question is -- what's wrong with fish that they are so sensitive, perhaps they are all a little light in the loafers?
Call this a shameless plug, but here goes nothin'
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"DragQueenification"? I think tranny-fish is more accurate.
We should do what people 100 years ago did when they were concerned (rightly so) about the sanitation of the water supply: drink beer.
Hermaphro-trout?
Bottled Water....in the 14yrs I have lived here I have never had a glass of tap water. I dont drink water from restaraunts and will rarely use a water fountain. I leave myself to the mercy of ice but that is the extent of the water I drink from D.C. That said even bottled water isnt all that safe but is far better than anything D.C. could offer.
Reid,
I prefer Scotch and or Whiskey...
Complain about genetic mutations all you want, but I have yet to hear a complaint about my prehensile penis.
Particularly when someone needs to get stuff off top shelves.
So what? Lots of fish go both ways.
Intersex is better than no sex at all, right?
Surely all of the medicine you said was in our water last week is curing us from whatever evil chemicals might be in the water this week. Thats just science.
Pardon me while I SciGeek-Out:
Actually, activated carbon (found in most inexpensive water filters, like Brita) probably does remove a large percentage of those chemicals, like it does other large and ring organic compounds.
Reverse Osmosis filters would be even better, but those are pretty damn expensive- not sold at CVS or standard eq in refrigerator water dispensers.
What really I wonder is what the bio-availability of the chemicals in question is. Are they generally found bound only to bottom-sediment? Do they float free? What's their half-life under typical conditions? In general, what's the deal? More research/info is necessary to know whether they're a direct issue for us, the Gods of our universe.
awesome, so how soon until i can impregnate myself?
These fish are fierce!
They're also a hot tranny mess.
@Big L, Actually bottled water is less regulated than tap water, so most times you have ZERO idea what is in your bottled water whereas at least now and again the gov tests the taps and tells you what is in it.
Also, bottled water is awful for the environment. All that plastic goes to waste and you are trasnporting the water from as far off as Fiji sometimes to your store.