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.

All of the chemicals scientists have identified above are suspected as being capable of interfering with hormones. And for some reason, the Post has buried this information at the bottom of its story:

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?