Fish study raises red flag on water supply

By Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Fish caught in the rivers near Allegheny County's storm sewer overflow pipes contain almost twice as much of certain estrogenic chemicals that can cause cancer, a University of Pittsburgh study has found.

The link between sewage plant discharges and fish contaminated with those chemicals has been established by studies in other urban areas around the world, but the finding is particularly significant in Allegheny County, which has more than 400 sanitary and combined sewer overflows.

The findings are a concern for public health because of the region's dependency on the rivers for its drinking water. Dr. Conrad Dan Volz, head of the study, said a number of reports have shown a link between high ingestion of estrogens and hormone problems and some cancers, including testicular cancer.

Estrogenic chemicals, called xenoestrogens or estrogen-mimicking chemicals, come from garden pesticides, plasticizers, glues, cosmetics and products that dissolve detergents. Pharmaceutical estrogens from female hormone replacement drugs and birth control pills are also found in sewage discharges.
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