Chemicals in the Water Are Bending Genders in Wildlife

This is a poorly written article but the info is important.
Is It Happening to Us, Too?
Endocrine disrupters are still changing the sex of some aquatic organisms, which may continue to find its way into humans later on down the food chain.
March 29, 2010 |

As the world takes pause to recognize the importance, and often perilous state, of its water supply--from massive islands of plastic drifting in the ocean, to industrial runoff and poorly managed waste polluting lakes and rivers--it's all too easy to feel overwhelmed. But, as disturbing the image of animal tangled in our discarded waste is, one less visible contaminant continues to wreak havoc on aquatic ecosystems worldwide, and its implications are almost more troubling. For decades, substances found in many common products have found their into our planet's water and are altering the hormones of wildlife until, in some cases, it changes their sex entirely--and the same thing may be happening to us.

Endocrine Disruptors Alter Hormone Levels

According to a recently published article in the journal Unesp Science, changes in the sexual organs and reproductive problems are being increasingly observed in various species around the world, and the culprits are endocrine disrupters. Such contaminants are found in some of the most common products, though their effects on wildlife is profound.

Luciana Christante of Universidade Estadual Paulista, writes:

From plastics to pesticides, cosmetics substances for industrial use, through to detergents and human urine, the sources [of endocrine disrupters] are numerous and diffuse. The molecules are chemically very distinct from each other, but they have in common the ability to interact with estrogen receptors that most animals carry in their cell membrane. "Disguised" hormone, they produce a misleading message that can make the cell multiply, die or produce certain proteins at the wrong time, for example.

Male Hermit Crabs Are Becoming Females

Perhaps the most dramatic effect of endocrine disrupters on developing organisms are the ability feminize males, and occasionally make females more masculine. While these substances are suspected to have led to a drop in fertility among polar bears, penguins, and other exposed species--a study involving hermit crabs is shedding light onto the extent of the problem in one region of the world.