Virginia Rep. Jim Moran and other federal lawmakers are seeking a study on whether pollutants linked to transgender fish in the Potomac River pose a health risk for humans, joining a growing push to understand the effects of hormone-disrupting compounds found in pharmaceuticals, pesticides and other household products.
Chemicals called endocrine disruptors are widely believed to be behind the phenomenon of “intersex” fish — those with both male and female sex organs — in the Potomac, although their effect on humans is not clear.
Moran, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and other members of Congress last week proposed legislation that would prompt a broad National Institutes of Health study and form a panel of scientists who would determine which chemicals to investigate. Considering the intersex problem a “canary in the coal mine,” the lawmakers want to explore the link between endocrine disruptors and increasing cases of autism, obesity, breast cancer and diabetes.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency already is studying the compounds.
“Hopefully, this process will lead to a greater public awareness of potentially dangerous chemicals, as well as a swift appropriate response by our regulatory agencies that will limit or prevent exposure to them,” Moran, a Democrat, said on the House floor introducing the bill.
A report released last month by the Potomac Conservancy blamed the intersex problem on a “toxic stew” of pollutants carried via runoff into local waterways. The groups called for better enforcement of clean water regulations, more funding to upgrade treatment facilities and legislation to keep unused prescription drugs from entering the river, among other recommendations.
Tests have found more 80 percent of male smallmouth bass in the Potomac exhibiting the cross-gender characteristics, with immature eggs growing in their testes.
Scientists have yet to pinpoint exactly which compounds are responsible for the Potomac’s woes. Endocrine disruptors appear in a range of household products: cosmetics, pesticides, bottles and cans, detergents, toys and pharmaceuticals, according to NIH.
