pharmaceuticals in our rivers

[Fly Fish]

 

All:

 

Interesting article on the impact presription drugs ingested by humans have on fish after they survive our sewage treatment plants.

 

 

http://science.time.com/2013/02/15/tipsy-fish-when-anti-anxiety-meds-get-into-rivers/?hpt=hp_t3

 

I have probably served a few fish a Guinness or two.

 

Charlie

 

 

 

[Sam Hauser]

Charlie,

 

Awesome article. Thanks for sharing!

     

        I did a lot of research on that subject while I was at George Mason working on my biology degree. Pharmaceuticals in our rivers is a bigger issue than people realize. One of the major ones that was not mentioned in this article is estrogen. It comes from birth control medications and estrogen replacement therapy as well as other things and it can cause mutations in many fish, including bass. Estrogen disrupts the endocrine system and leads to the development of female sex organs and eggs in male fish. This has been recorded in bass on the Potomac. Rainbow trout have also been found in many locations with the same problem. To make it worse certain pesticides can mimic pharmaceutical drugs in the water as well. I would love to share one of the articles from the university but unfortunately the research database I get them from is password protected so links don't work. This is a good publicly available article you might be interested in though.

 

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=estrogen-in-waterways

 

- Sam

 

 

 

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[TurbineBlade]

EDCs are always a hot topic.  

I'm lactose-intolerant -- does soymilk count as an EDC?  Maybe that explains all this wicker furniture.....but it really ties the room together!  

Gene

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[Cgloeck]

Sam:

That is great research you worked on at GMU.  The topic is very important for the longterm vitality of our rivers and our passion; fly fishing. I am a strong supporter of the Potomac and Shenandoah Riverkeeper, one team protecting both of our historic rivers.   We need to link the Riverkeepers with GMU and your research if that has not already happened.  If you have not met the riverkeepers, I know Jeff Kelbe the Shenandoah riverkeeper.   He and his colleagues are fighting the battle on our behalf.  Let me know if I can make an introduction for you or the GMU team. 

Every TPFR member should be supporting the Potomac and Shenandoah Riverkeepers.   They host a Shenandoah River Fishing Rodeo for those of you that want to camp out with 

and compete with some of the best guides in the region.  The event is usually in August, I will be there.   Just ask if you are interested, it is a great time. 

Charlie

Sent from my iPad

On Feb 15, 2013, at 8:51 PM, Sam Hauser <slhau...@gmail.com> wrote:

Charlie,

 

Awesome article. Thanks for sharing!

     

        I did a lot of research on that subject while I was at George Mason working on my biology degree. Pharmaceuticals in our rivers is a bigger issue than people realize. One of the major ones that was not mentioned in this article is estrogen. It comes from birth control medications and estrogen replacement therapy as well as other things and it can cause mutations in many fish, including bass. Estrogen disrupts the endocrine system and leads to the development of female sex organs and eggs in male fish. This has been recorded in bass on the Potomac. Rainbow trout have also been found in many locations with the same problem. To make it worse certain pesticides can mimic pharmaceutical drugs in the water as well. I would love to share one of the articles from the university but unfortunately the research database I get them from is password protected so links don't work. This is a good publicly available article you might be interested in though.

 

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=estrogen-in-waterway

 

[Sam Hauser]

Charlie, 

      I am no longer with GMU as of right now so I would be unable to directly facilitate a link like that. I have graduated and am currently looking for a better job in the area (very difficult with the current economy and the government budget issues). I have not personally met the riverkeepers but you are definitely correct that they need our support. I really like the fact that they take pollution a reports from the public and try to do what they can about it. I think we should all have this link handy especially with all the construction going on right now http://www.potomacriverkeeper.org/report-pollution

Thanks- Sam

[TurbineBlade]

Agreed - Sam.  

I think in 20-30 years people will be sitting in introductory biology classes saying "hey, what took you guys so long to figure out that EDCs were a problem?"  

Gene

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[Sardman]

A group of substances that mimic hormones, and may end up messing with the endocrine system, are contained in shampoos and other personal care products. Only in very recent times labs have been able to detect these substances at all, and it is even more difficult detecting parts per billion in the effluent of a wastewater plant, where you also have a score of other contaminants.

The treatment plants are not designed to deal with these substances, and it will be extremely costly upgrading them. Other than being an operational nightmare (imagine you have to watch out for a parameter that is tested by an outside lab and takes a few days to get the results back,)   the cost will be ridiculous. The water bill is going up everywhere not because of the cost of drinking water, but because of the cost of the wastewater treatment. All those Combined Sewage Overflows facilities, separating the sewage from the rain water, removing the nutrients, removing the pathogens without chlorine with expensive treatments like UV, cost a ton of money both in capital investment and operation, and the results on water quality are not always that easy to see. I was impressed when I first saw the Alex Renewal treatment plant at 4MR, and then read about their treatment process: very advanced stuff, and also probably very expensive. But every time it rains there is a huge amount of water that is bypassing the treatment plant and is discharged directly in the river. We all know what the water at 4MR looks like, and smells like, after a storm.

The cherry on the cake, however, is that most of our drinking water sources, at some point upstream of the river, take the discharge of some wastewater plant. Now talk about the effect of endocrine disruptors on people….