Tap Water Toxins Attack Reproductive Health

One recent Sunday afternoon I browsed an online edition of my hometown newspaper, The San Marcos (TX) Daily Record. I noticed an article, by Brad Rollins, titled, "Endocrine Disruptors a Health Wildcard." The phrase "endocrine disruptors" intrigued me. I am embarrassed to admit that I did not know what it meant. I have since learned that "endocrine disruptors" is a phrase that I and every person in America better understand and take seriously. Each of our lives, and the lives of future generations, depend on it.

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), "the endocrine system is a complex network of glands and hormones that regulates many of the body's functions, including growth, development and maturation, as well as organ functions. The endocrine glands--pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, thymus, pancreas, ovaries, and testes--release carefully-measured amounts of hormones into the bloodstream that act as natural chemical messengers, traveling to different parts of the body in order to control and adjust many life functions."

Endocrine disruptors (or hormone disruptors) are synthetic or natural chemicals that absorb into the body through water, food, or air. These chemicals are found in metals, industrial chemicals, synthetic and naturally occurring hormones, pharmaceutical drugs, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and personal care products.

When these chemicals are used, disposed of, or secreted by people or animals, they typically end up in storm water or wastewater. Wastewater treatment processes attempt to keep individual chemicals at safe concentrations for tap water, but scientists fear the health consequences of the "chemical cocktail"-- the combination of many different toxins-- found in every glass of tap water.

The only reliable filtering technology that can effectively remove volatile organic chemicals, including endocrine disruptors, from tap water is activated carbon. Most public utilities are using only chlorination and sand filtration, and they do nothing to reduce endocrine disruptor levels in tap water.