WASHINGTON — Scientists responding to a new report by Silver Spring, MD-based environmental advocacy group Potomac Conservancy have said it is critical that steps are taken to limit the amount of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) entering the Potomac River system, a major drinking water source for the greater District of Columbia area, according to a November 11 press release from the Potomac Conservancy.

Potomac Conservancy on November 11 released its third-annual State of the Nation’s River 2009 report, which calls attention to the variety of emerging contaminants (ECs) found in the Potomac River that disrupt the endocrine system.

The endocrine system regulates the normal growth and sexual development of vertebrate species, including humans and fish. Recent research has explored the potential relationship of EDCs to the phenomenon of intersex fish, a condition in which male fish exhibit female characteristics, including developing eggs. Intersex fish have been found in the Potomac River system.

Potomac Conservancy said its report also “reviews shortcomings in current federal and local regulations that are leaving this widespread problem essentially unregulated.”

Along with the report, the group released a companion document, the 2009 Potomac Agenda, which calls on Congress to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act and seeks better stormwater regulations at the local level. The report suggests other avenues of future action to address EDCs, including updated assessment models for chemicals that may disrupt the regulation and development of the endocrine system; advocates for technology to remove these chemicals from wastewater and drinking water supplies; and calls for regulatory action for state and federal government agencies.

Dr. John Peterson “Pete” Myers, chief scientist for Environmental Health Sciences of Charlottesville, VA, is quoted in the Potomac Conservancy release as saying: “Endocrine disrupting compounds are major pollutants in the Potomac watershed, and we need to exercise the utmost caution when introducing these compounds into our rivers, streams and, ultimately, our drinking water.”

Myers cautioned that trace levels of EDCs end up in tap water, and warned: “We aren’t sure exactly what level of exposure causes harmful effects to human health, but if the intersex fish phenomenon is any indication, there’s a critical need for regulatory agencies and decision makers to start addressing this issue.”

The State of the Nation’s River report also illustrates how land uses provide a critical pathway for such chemicals to enter the water supply. According to Potomac Conservancy, EDCs are most prevalent in rivers and streams in industrialized, agricultural, and/or urbanized areas, with particularly high concentrations near sewage treatment plants or other sources of wastewater. “Virtually every place where water and chemicals combine becomes a potential source of endocrine disrupting compounds entering sources of drinking water,” the group said in the release.

To read the full release, click here.

To access the report, click here.

For more information on the report, click here.

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