Reuse Water? Then Everyone must learn what EPOC’s and Endocrine Disruptors are. By geniusofdespair

Epoc’s stands for Emerging Pollutants of Concern. The worst of these pollutants, and the great unknown is: What will exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals do to humans and animals? We keep making chemicals and no one knows the long term dangers. They have found small amounts of many of these chemicals can cause major havoc on reproduction.

Why am I telling you this? There was a big meeting of about a hundred honcho scientists types in Miami today (Even Ed Swakon, Lennar’s Engineer was there) to discuss a reuse pilot study in South Miami Dade County. For the attention deficit set, the State last year slapped Dade County’s hands big time and insisting that our county participate in reusing our wastewater. We are one of the worst counties in the State at reusing wastewater.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it is a good idea to reuse our sewer water. However, it is all a matter of how clean you get it. Reuse water is loaded with chemicals (we make about 2,000 new chemicals a year) that require very expensive methods of removal and some say you can't remove them all. They want to use this reuse water on the ecosystem — which means it has to be ultra clean (fish in water 24/7). The US Geological Survey said of this project:

“A critical concern that must be addressed in the application of reused water to ecosystems is the degree to which certain constituents in reclaimed water may adversely affect the aquatic biota of an ecosystem. The ecological and human health impacts of emerging contaminants of concern have received increased attention within the past decade, specifically, the endocrine disrupting chemicals and their effects on the aquatic biota.” And, in 2003 USGS said about EPOC'S:

"Many of these compounds can be found at low concentrations in treated wastewater and sometimes in potable water. Although the science is relatively new, there is evidence that exposure to EPOCs can cause cancer as well as physiological changes to humans and animals. Of particular concern, is human and animal exposure to so called Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs). Recent Safe Drinking Water Act amendments include requirements to test drinking water supplies for EDCs."

I wrote about this before December 19th and January 12th, read those posts (in index under “Water Quality/Supply.”)

My Point? It is getting closer to reality. The pilot study is beginning soon with 1 million gallons per day.

Hit "Read More" to find out about Endocrine Disruptors (you owe it to yourself to become informed this is your future!)

Now I swear I heard these numbers today but don’t hold me to them: According to Doug Yoder of Water and Sewer Authority (or is he still at DERM?), the goal is to do 50 million gallons a day at a cost estimated at $600 million dollars. They figure it will cost about $12 a gallon for reuse water. These numbers are different than my December 19th column because they are now discussing treating less water.

Maybe they should go to Costco and buy water. Seriously, it could be a good plan to reuse the water, as long as it is not deadly. If they try to cut corners on treatment to save money, it could be.

This information is from the Natural Resource Defense Council Website:
1. What is the endocrine system?

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 the way various organs operate. The endocrine glands -- including the 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.

2. What is an endocrine disruptor?

An endocrine disruptor is a synthetic chemical that when absorbed into the body either mimics or blocks hormones and disrupts the body's normal functions. This disruption can happen through altering normal hormone levels, halting or stimulating the production of hormones, or changing the way hormones travel through the body, thus affecting the functions that these hormones control. Chemicals that are known human endocrine disruptors include diethylstilbesterol (the drug DES), dioxin, PCBs, DDT, and some other pesticides. Many chemicals, particularly pesticides and plasticizers, are suspected endocrine disruptors based on limited animal studies.

3. What are some likely routes of exposure to endocrine disruptors?

Exposure to endocrine disruptors can occur through direct contact with pesticides and other chemicals or through ingestion of contaminated water, food, or air. Chemicals suspected of acting as endocrine disruptors are found in insecticides, herbicides, fumigants and fungicides that are used in agriculture as well as in the home. Industrial workers can be exposed to chemicals such as detergents, resins, and plasticizers with endocrine disrupting properties. Endocrine disruptors enter the air or water as a byproduct of many chemical and manufacturing processes and when plastics and other materials are burned. Further, studies have found that endocrine disruptors can leach out of plastics, including the type of plastic used to make hospital intravenous bags. Many endocrine disruptors are persistent in the environment and accumulate in fat, so the greatest exposures come from eating fatty foods and fish from contaminated water.

4. How do we know that endocrine disruptors are dangerous?

Many plant and animal species are showing signs of ill health due to exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals. For example, fish in the Great Lakes, which are contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other man-made chemicals, have numerous reproductive problems as well as abnormal swelling of the thyroid glands. Fish-eating birds in the Great Lakes area, such as eagles, terns, and gulls, have shown similar dysfunctions.

Scientists have also pointed to endocrine disruptors as the cause of a declining alligator population in Lake Apopka, Florida. The alligators in this area have diminished reproductive organs that prevent successful reproduction. These problems were connected to a large pesticide spill several years earlier, and the alligators were found to have endocrine disrupting chemicals in their bodies and eggs.

5. Should humans be concerned for their health based on evidence that fish, birds and alligators have been affected?

Yes. All vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, including humans) are fundamentally similar during early embryonic development. Scientists can therefore use the evidence acquired on other species to make predictions about endocrine disrupting effects on humans.

6. Is there direct evidence that humans are susceptible to endocrine disruption?

Yes. In the 1950s and 1960s pregnant women were prescribed diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic estrogen, to prevent miscarriages. Not only did DES fail to prevent miscarriages, but it also caused health problems for many of these women's children. In 1971, doctors began reporting high rates of unusual vaginal cancers in teenage girls. Investigations of the girls' environmental exposures traced the problem to their mothers' use of DES. The girls also suffered birth defects of the uterus and ovaries, and immune system suppression.

7. Are children at greater risk from endocrine disruptor exposure?

Yes. Because endocrine disruptors affect the development of the body's vital organs and hormonal systems, infants, children and developing fetuses are more vulnerable to exposure. And as was the case with DES, parents' exposure to certain chemicals may produce unexpected -- and tragic -- effects in their children, even decades later.

8. These days don't chemicals have to be safe to be allowed on the market?

No. The majority of the more than 2,000 chemicals that come onto the market every year do not go through even the simplest tests to determine toxicity. Even when some tests are carried out, they do not assess whether or not a chemical has endocrine interfering properties.