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.