The Influence of Xenobiotics on Water Quality and Human Health

The Disappearing Male is about one of the most important, and least publicized, issues facing the human species: the toxic threat to the male reproductive system. The last few decades have seen steady and dramatic increases in the incidence of boys and young men suffering from genital deformities, low sperm count, sperm abnormalities and testicular cancer. Some researchers say that declining male fertility rates could be the first sign of extinction.

At the same time, boys are now far more at risk of suffering from ADHD, autism, Tourette's syndrome, cerebral palsy, and dyslexia. The Disappearing Male takes a close and disturbing look at what many doctors and researchers now suspect are responsible for many of these problems: a class of common chemicals that are ubiquitous in our world.

Found in everything from shampoo, sunglasses, meat and dairy products, carpet, cosmetics and baby bottles, they are called "hormone mimicking" or "endocrine disrupting" chemicals and they may be starting to damage the most basic building blocks of human development. Watch this documentary (45 minutes) here: http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/doczone/2008/disappearingmale/#

Information provided by Steve Diver
ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
http://www.attra.ncat.org

A xenobiotic (Greek, xenos foreign ; bios life) is a compound that is foreign to a living organism. Xenobiotics are endocrine disrupting chemicals, also referred to as EDCs. These include:

During 1999-2000, a reconnaissance of United States water resources by the U.S. Geological Survey for pharmaceuticals and other wastewater contaminants indicated that 80% of the streams (139 streams from 30 states) sampled had measurable levels of contamination.

These findings were said to be reminiscent of Rachael Carson's "Silent Spring" with regards to the potential impact of these compounds to our environment.

Here are a few resources to add to your environmental toolbox:

Water-Quality Data for Pharmaceuticals, Hormones,
and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in U.S. Streams 1999 - 2000
This report was prepared with the assistance of the U.S. Geological Survey, Toxic Substances Hydrology Program

The most frequently detected compounds
Figure 2 from above report

Pharmaceuticals, Hormones, and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in U.S. Streams June 2002

Research on Emerging Water Quality Issues, USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program

Drugging Our Water - We Flush It, Then We Drink It

Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water Supplies

Iowa Dept of Natural Resources / Iowa Geological Survey / Water Monitoring

Emerging Water Quality Issues

Pharmaceuticals, Pesticide Degradates, and Other Emerging Contaminants in Water: New Analytical Tools Play Key Roles in Water Research
Herbicide degradates significantly increase overal occurrence

Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) as Environmental Pollutants
60-slides in PowerPoint (download - 4MB )

Global Recognition Campaign for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and Chemical Injury
A personal website demonstrating the health effects of multiple chemical exposure