Fish on The Pill

This research seems to have been percolating around for awhile but I just heard about it the other day (thanks MMN). Definitely one to file "Crazy Unintended Consequences."

From Scientificblogging.com...

After an exhaustive seven-year research effort, Canadian biologists found that miniscule amounts of estrogen present in municipal waste water discharges can decimate wild fish populations living downstream.

The research confirms that synthetic estrogen used in birth control pills can wreak havoc on the sex lives of fish. Male fish exposed to estrogen become feminized, producing egg protein normally synthesized by females.

“We’ve known for some time that estrogen can adversely affect the reproductive health of fish, but ours was the first study to show the long-term impact on the sustainability of wild fish populations,” explains Kidd. “What we demonstrated is that estrogen can wipe out entire populations of small fish — a key food source for larger fish whose survival could in turn be threatened over the longer term.”

Relate video from NBC News in 2004...