U.S. Geological Survey scientists have pinpointed a bevy of pollutants in the Potomac River that may harm hormonal systems in fish, part of an ongoing investigation into smallmouth bass with both male and female characteristics found in the river.
USGS Project Chief Douglas Chambers, who co-authored the report released this week, cautioned the discovery does not solve the mystery of “intersex,” an odd phenomenon in which male bass are found with eggs in their testes. It does, however, provide part of the data scientists need to piece together a complex environmental puzzle.
“At this point, we’re not saying there is a causal link between the intersex and the compounds we found, but [we] are still looking into that,” Chambers told The Examiner on Thursday. “This is an interim product, we’re continuing to analyze and evaluate data.”
The agency took samples from water and fish on the South Branch Potomac in West Virginia and another waterway, and found a mixture that included “endocrine disrupters” from pesticides, personal care products, flame retardants and industrial solvents. Endocrine disrupters tamper with the hormonal balance of an animal, and are linked with the intersex problem.
Some of the compounds were found at sites with and without the androgynous bass, and the USGS was not able to isolate a single contaminant found only in fish with the problem. Chambers suspects, in the end, it won’t be a single culprit.
“It’s likely, or at least possible, it’s an interaction between compounds and environmental conditions that are eliciting these conditions,” he said.
