ABOUT
Smart discussion of the latest science and news on toxins in your food, water, and air, and what government agencies should be doing to protect public health. Written by EWG staff.
DONATE TO EWG!
Help us protect your health and environment! Please donate $5 to EWG today.
GET EWG'S TIPS & ACTION ALERTS
Sign Up here to receive email updates and tips from EWG and stay informed on the issues that matter most to you.
ENVIROBLOG VIA EMAIL
Join EWG's live chat with Chef Ann Cooper
School lunch: More fruits & veggies, please!
Texas Schools are Drilling for Dollars
Why do blowouts take so long to fix?
SEARCH ENVIROBLOG
FEATURED
Support the 2010 Safe Cosmetics Act. It's Urgent.
Why, oh why is there plastic in my aluminum water bottle?
Cell phone radiation series - Part 2: 8 Ways to reduce your exposure
Test Your Knowledge of Cosmetics Safety: 8 Myths Debunked
EWG's Tips for Parents: The Series
EWG's Tips to avoid BPA exposure
EWG on TV
Cutting the Pork from U.S. Farm Bill
Sunscreen safety & DC drinking water
Perchlorate in people, kids' personal care products & plastics, and sunscreen
BPA in baby formula & safe cosmetics
What can I do about fluoride in my water?
What is new carpet treated with? What can I do?
Are stainless steel water bottles safe?
Is mineral-based makeup safer?
PEOPLE TALKING TOXICS
TALK TO US
Did we miss something? Email Enviroblog.
« SMM: A food and farm bill for school lunches | Main | Envirohealth News: Finally, an asbestos ban »
How about a little hormone disruption with your drinking water?
It's awfully hot here, especially for October. Can I get you a nice, cool glass of water?
Would you like some estrogen with that?
A UK study of two waterways and the sediment they rest on reveals that estrogenic compounds contained in effluent from wastewater treatment plants migrate into the sediment, and could from there migrate into groundwater. That means it may end up in drinking water and in water for crop irrigation.
If you're wondering how the estrogen-like compounds got there, look no further than your medicine cabinet. Endocrine disruptors (EDCs) are in products that many of us use every day, including products that get flushed down the drain constantly. There are EDCs in anti-bacterial soap, in some toothpaste, in cosmetics, in laundry detergent and in vinyl shower curtains. EDCs are also often a product of industrial manufacture.
Most endocrine disrupting chemicals are unregulated, and wastewater treatment plants -- which deal quite effectively with organic waste and solids -- were not designed to filter out hormone-mimicking compounds. You can limit your own household's exposure to EDCs, but if they're in the drinking water. . . well, maybe then the government will finally do something about it.
Leave a comment