Water is the most critical substance there is on the planet. It gives every living creature the key to life. After numerous years of development and the water cycle in tacked, water has inevitably become contaminated with many chemicals. Women around the world take contraceptive birth control which is the main source of the estrogen that settles in sewage water. Although the water goes through treatment, traces of estrogen remain. With physical alterations occurring in fish living in waters near water treatment plants across the United States, it is hard not to consider the possible foreshadow presented to humans that ingest water every day. Therefore, birth control should be eliminated as a whole to stop additional estrogen from entering water treatments and enable repetitive treatment to remove remaining estrogen from drinking water.
There are a few pathways that estrogen uses to find its way into drinking water. The most common is through the 100 million women that take birth control pills daily (White). Women across the world ingest this little pill, excreting estrogen hormones from this pill into sewage systems across the world. As the sewage goes through water treatment plants, 94% of the estrogen hormones are broken down, but the remaining 6% are very concentrated (Charleston). This 6% is what is causing detrimental effects on fish inhabiting waters near treatment plants, which to a degree is illustrating what could be happening to humans. Also, during wet weather, sewage sometimes overflows into rivers with no treatment at all, not only dumping every other contaminant into the water, but full concentrations of estrogen into it as well. This causes the fish to have extensive exposure to the hormone, speeding up any affect that would be a result. Humans, however, are not exposed to this hormone as much simply because they do not live in water. This would mean that any affect occurring to humans will occur at a much slower rate. Of course marine life and human life dramatically differ, but one thing remains constant in both lives: water.
Clearly fish differ greatly from humans. For this reason some may say that alterations in fish have nothing to do with humans. Fish are a fraction of a human’s size, so others may also think that they are 100x more susceptible to the effects. Also, some people believe that because the concentrations are so small, they will only effect small creatures and will have no effect on humans. However, the only reason legitimate effects have not occurred on humans due to this problem is because we do not live in water. These fish are exposed to this hormone twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Humans, however, only drink, bathe, and sometimes play in water. Therefore, the only difference in possible results occurring from estrogenic hormones in water is time. Due to their size and the fact that fish live in water as opposed to solely drinking it, the results sprouting from exposure to estrogen will occur faster than that on humans. Many studies have shown the quick affects of this hormone on marine life.
A scientist by the name of Karren Kidd did an experiment in Canada where she intentionally ‘spiked’ a lake with estrogen to examine its effect on fish inhabiting those waters. She found that after being constantly exposed to the chemical, male fish began growing proteins that were typically found in females. Kid also found that after long periods of exposure, the fish began to slowly die off due to reproductive issues (White). David Norris, a pHD at The University of Colorado, Boulder did a similar experiment with the same idea in mind but in a natural setting. Scientists used electric waves to “stun” the fish and bring the fish, inhabiting waters near a water treatment plant, to the surface to examine the changes they were experiencing. Norris and his team found that these fish had seemingly changed in sex, having a 10:1 female to male ratio downstream of the water treatment plant (Costello). Although this is an extreme situation that is improbably going to happen to humans, these fish are also experiencing extreme exposure to this particular hormone. Another worry that could arise from these effects on fish is our ingestion of the fish themselves. Catfish, for example, are eaten across the United States. When taken to the lab, scientists found that these fish were full of estrogen and estrogen-like chemicals from the water. When we eat them, we are more susceptible to getting cancer (Biotech Business Week). Some fish, however, contain in them oils that may reduce levels of estrogen in human life forms. For this reason, people need to be very selective on what type of fish they tend to eat to keep health risks at a minimum. Whether it is in the water they live in that turns to what humans drink or the ingestion of the fish themselves catalyzing the effects on humans, the results from constant exposure to these waters plays as a warning sign.
SeaCrest Group is a company located near Boulder, Colorado that tests treated waters through biological variables. Their main job is to breed different fish and water bugs and use them to test waters that are sent to them by water companies around the state. Paniz Bighash, an aquatic toxicologist at SeaCrest, explains that “male fish began to grow vitellogenin after constant exposure to estrogen.” Vitellogenin is a protein that is present in female fish that carries the eggs (Bighash). Bighash claims that if the fish are exposed to estrogen long enough, as they are in rivers near treatment plants, then the fish will eventually go extinct due to reproduction difficulties. “Because fish live in water, [estrogen] effects them much quicker than those who simply drink it.” This, however, does not mean that estrogen can never have an effect on humans, but only that it will take longer to notice the effect. Women are at the most risk for health related issues caused by estrogen hormones.
The dangers of birth control do not just exist in the left over concentrations of it in the water, but in the direct intake of the pill itself. Some women who take contraceptive pills may “be at risk for sexual problems” due to their sex hormone-binding globulin levels being much higher than normal after taking the pill (Woznicki). This will potentially cause abnormalities during intercourse that may hinder the activity in its own. This, however, is the least of the potential problems associated with estrogen intake.
Dr. Love, a distinguished cancer surgeon, claims that cancer rates had shot up by 26% from 1980 to 1988 due to increasing estrogen intake. White specifically claims “lifetime exposure to estrogen” is what is causing this dramatic increase in cancer in such a short time period (White). The same source claims that young girls are beginning to hit puberty much earlier than normal, developing breasts at only the age of eight. These new attributes of society is what causes the scare of estrogen filling the water system. By abolishing birth control as a whole, not only will the direct effects of this hormone be eliminated, but the effects on all of society resulting from that 6% of estrogenic hormones floating in drinking water. Parents worry about their children as well, for children are more prone to facing problems later in life as they drink the same waters that is is causing these problems to fish every day in the most crucial growing periods of their life.
Phyllis Wheeler, a mother of multiple boys, writes a blog review of a book called Boys Adrift written by Leonard Sax. In his book, Sax speaks about all the problems arising in young and grown males that could be related to all the estrogen used in just our plastic bottles that we store and distribute water. Wheeler claims that one way to save the kids is to use water purifiers in our homes rather than buying bottled water. Even through bottled water, there is no escape from estrogen contaminating our key to life (Wheeler). This hormone is finding multiple pathways to enter the physical human system. An article from the Phillidalphia Times claims “Environmental Health Perspective determined that estrogen has lowered sperm count among human men” and that estrogen in the water may even be the reason hermaphrodites exist. (Borenstein, A12). Although this would be a far fetched result, over time exposure to estrogen in drinking water may lead to reproductive issues just as it has to fish inhabiting waters near treatment plants. Eliminating the production of birth control is eliminating the main source of estrogen hormones being ingested through drinking water.
With the lazy approach that scientists and politicians are going about this, only time will tell what will happen to future generations. Before it gets to that point, the production of birth control needs to be eliminated. Birth control is the top source of estrogen fed into water treatment plants. Due to the fact that water is renewable, it is understood that the same water goes through treatment multiple times. With this in mind, it is also understood that the same chemicals will continue to be broken down with each additional treatment. By eliminating the risk of adding more to the problem, experts can solely focus on the issue at hand without worrying about growth of a potentially uncontainable problem.
Some may say that eliminating birth control would have more negative than positive effects on society-increase in population being one large one. However, the option of condoms is always available to keep this from happening. Using condoms will also make the responsibility of this matter equal between a man and a woman. Instead of solely the woman worry about taking the pill everyday, the man will have a part in keeping an accidental pregnancy from occurring too. After all, there was a time before birth control. Some may also say that pharmaceutical companies that supply this product will go bankrupt, but the fact of the matter is that multiple other supplements exist that would keep these companies in business. Also, condom companies, like Trojan will boom in business, creating more jobs and collecting more taxes that will ultimately benefit the economy. Also each individual woman who one took birth control would save the monthly payment they once paid to purchase the pill. If the purchase were covered by insurance, both insurance companies would save money as well.
Some say that finding a solution to decrease concentrations instead of eliminating birth control would be more fitting. However, the first problem with this matter is the cost. This process will not only cost municipalities more money to hire workers and supplies to do so, but it will also raise the risk of inducing the water with other chemicals that could potentially be more harmful than the original problem of estrogen. For these reasons, eliminating the production and use of birth control will be the best solution.
The potential risks that every living creature is currently facing should be a red flag to officials. Ingesting a hormone that leads to multiple problems such as sperm reduction, early development, and cancer should not be an issue taken lightly. Fish inhabiting waters around the United States show exact proof of the capabilities of estrogen intake, and although humans and animals do not live in water, they still need water to survive. For this reason, the leading cause of this issue, birth control, should be eliminated. Once women stop ingesting this substance, the estrogen levels in water will be at its maximum point. From here, the concentrations will only decrease as the water goes through repetitive treatment. This way, the hazardous risks people face daily will be eliminated at the same rate as the estrogen is eliminated. Ultimately, the discontinued use of birth control can save lives by lowering cancer rates and enabling humans to drink hormone-free water.
Bibliography
Brown, David. "Estrogen's Benefits". Washington Post 12 Sept. 1991, late ed.: A1. LexisNexis Academic. Print. 22 Oct. 2010.
Carrol, Connie. Letter. Irish Times 1 Nov. 1994, late ed.: A13. LexisNexis Academic. Print. 21 Oct. 2010.
Eisenstadt, Leah. Drugs in the Water. Leah Eisenstadt. ND. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.
Lite, Jordan. "Water's Drug-free, Not that we Test: CITY.” Daily News 11 March. 2008, late ed.: A26. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 23 Oct. 2010
Wheeler, Phyllis. "Estrogen in Plastic Water and Soda Bottles Affect our Boys". Rev. of Boys Adrift, by Leonard Sax. Safe-Water-4-You, Feb. 2009. Web. 18 Oct. 2010.
White, Hilary. "Study Confirms Estrogen in Water from the Pill Devastating to Fish Populations." LifeSiteNews. LifeSiteNews, 8 Feb. 2008. Web. 12 Oct. 2010
Woznicki, Katrina. "Birth Control Pills May Produce Protracted Effects on Testosterone Levels ." MedPage Today. N.p., 01/03/2006. Web. 2 Dec 2011. <http:// www.medpagetoday.com/OBGYN/HRT/2423>.
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