An illustration showing the sources and pathways of pollution to fish in the Great Lakes.Source: Environmental Protection Agency.
My friends and I have been e-mailing each other all day about this story from the Independent about the creepy havoc pollution is wreaking on the reproductive organs of species across the board, including humans.
Certain widely used and ingested chemicals, called "gender-benders," are named as such because they alter the hormonal balance of animals and other creatures, causing male reproductive problems and a greater incidence of female births. Yikes.
The chemicals are called phthalates and are found in everything from nail polish to food products to toys, according to a suspect Wikipedia article. The WSJ says Congress has banned several types of phthalates, albeit only in children's toys, though the bans do not go into effect until 2009 and store-owners are now feverishly marking down the existing soon-to-be-barred toys in their stores. Dangerous, considering they're not required to (and don't) disclose why these plastic toys must go.
1 comment:
oh ok... now I see you have this blog... for some reason I was picturing being a Guns n' Roses tribute blog?
Post a Comment