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| Falls in the fish population have been linked to the main ingredient in contraceptive pills. Photo: David Bagnall/Alamy |
Sobering news for UK fishermen. Britain faces a £30bn bill to clean up rivers, streams and drinking water supplies contaminated by synthetic hormones from contraceptive pills. Drastic reductions in these chemicals, which have been linked to collapses in fish populations, are proposed in the latest European Union water framework directive.
But the plan, which would involve upgrading the sewage network and significantly increasing household water bills, is controversial. Water and pharmaceutical companies dispute the science involved and argue the costs are prohibitive. By contrast, many environmental researchers say the proposal is sound. Ethinyl estradiol (EE2), the main active ingredient of contraceptive pills, can trigger a condition known as "intersex" in freshwater fish, which has caused significant drops in populations in many species – although no links have yet been made with human health. "That does not mean we will not find impacts in future," said toxicologist Professor Richard Owen of Exeter University. "But do we want to wait until we see effects in humans, as we did with thalidomide and BSE, or do we act before harm is done?"
Consumers who flush unwanted contraceptives down the drain are being blamed for this sexual mutation in fish. Other drugs excreted by patients can taint rivers, even after the water has passed through waste processing facilities. Effluent coming from pharmaceutical factories can also get into rivers, according to ecotoxicologists.
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