What impact does estrogen have on fish?

Exposure to estrogens can have various detrimental effects in fish. It can reduce general viability, induce gonadal malformations or feminization of genetic males, or lead to sterilization [4,5].

How does estrogen affect the environment?

Results: Estrogens at polluting levels have been detected at sites close to waste water treatment facilities and in groundwater at various sites globally. Estrogens at pollutant levels have been linked with breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.

What causes feminization of fish?

The occurrence of feminized fish has been associated with effluent discharges into waterways from treated sewage. The main chemical responsible for feminizing fish is ethinyl estradiol, a synthetic hormone found in birth control pills that women excrete.

Why we should be concerned about the feminization of fish?

Experiments with minnows suggest that exposure to environmental estrogens may cause problems for fish populations. Very severe levels of feminization—having a lot of egg cells in the testes—can impair sperm quality, impeding a fish’s ability to reproduce.

Is there birth control for fish?

Your birth control pill is affecting more than just your body.

Are fish turning female?

A sex change phenomenon in fish suggests there is something in the water. A new study published in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety finds that male fish are turning into females – a phenomenon known as intersex – due to chemical pollution, specifically estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals or EEDCs.

How do synthetic estrogens get into the environment?

Millions of women around the world take synthetic hormones via birth control pills or hormone replacement therapies. Not all of the estrogen-like compounds from these and other treatments are used by the body — small amounts are excreted and end up in municipal wastewater.

What are external sources of estrogen?

Xenoestrogens are “foreign” estrogens, substances that are close enough in molecular structure to estrogen that they can bind to estrogen receptor sites with potentially hazardous outcomes. Sources of Xenoestrogens include plastics, pesticides, chemicals, and water systems.

What causes intersex fish?

Intersex Fish Active Intersex conditions occur when exposure to chemicals disrupts the hormonal systems of an animal, leading to the presence of both male and female characteristics in an animal that should exhibit the characteristics of just one sex in its lifetime.

What is fish feminization?

Feminized phenotypes include the presence of vitellogenin in the blood of male fish (Purdom et al. 1994) and the presence of developing eggs (oocytes) and/or female reproductive ducts (oviducts) in the testes of otherwise male fish (the intersex condition) (Jobling et al. 1998).

Is there estrogen in the water?

Very little of that estrogen actually makes its way into our taps, since most water-treatment systems filter it out along with other contaminants. A 2010 study determined that birth-control pills account for less than 1% of the total amount of estrogen found in US drinking water.