'Intersex' Fish Raise Concerns About Estrogen In N.J. Drinking Water

Some New Jersey waterways reportedly have “intersex” fish that have raised concerns about estrogen levels in drinking water.

A study from the United States Geological Survey found that two species of male fish caught at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Morris County and at Wallkill River in Sussex County contained a high incidence of “intersex” aquatic life.

The study, published in December, says the fish contain characteristics of both males and females.

The state Department of Environmental Protection called the connection between estrogen in fish and in local drinking water a “stretch,” but said it’s an issue that the agency has been monitoring.

“The bottom line is this is not a new issue, nor does it revolve around one river or wildlife refuge,” said Bob Considine, DEP spokesman. “This is about male fish showing female traits have been observed across the globe in all types of waterways.”

He said the recent USGS study “adds to our knowledge of this issue and impacts to ecological systems, but the scientific community overall still has more questions than answers on human health impacts.”

“The DEP will continue to follow and evaluate the science that continues to emerge from across the world,” he said. “At the same time, the federal EPA continues to evaluate the science of emerging contaminants of concern and will look toward any guidance the EPA provides.

In 2008, the Associated Press launched a 5-month investigation into pharmaceutical contaminants in drinking water, and discovered drugs in the drinking water of 24 major metropolitan areas, including North Jersey, South California, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Arizona.

Traces of drugs included mood-stabilizers, estrogens, metabolized angina medicine and tranquilizers.

The USGS study found intersex in smallmouth bass in 19 locations nationwide. Many of the testing locations were near wastewater treatment plants, industrial sites or agricultural runoff.

The Wallkill River site is about three miles downstream from a wastewater treatment plant. Researchers also found evidence that pesticides had previously been stored and used at Great Swamp.

The Passaic River’s watershed covers parts of seven counties in New Jersey and two in New York, connecting to a river system that runs through the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and containing important water supplies for the region, according to Montclair State University officials.

Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said estrogen could have ultimately infiltrated the drinking water supply for at least 3 million people in Morris and Passaic counties, and others, who get their water from the Passaic River watershed area.

Tittel said estrogen contamination indicates that wastewater plants that do not treat for the chemicals, saying environmental leaders have made several attempts to designate the Wallkill River and the Great Swamp as “Category 1” waterways.

The designation would have protected them from development. Each attempt failed, he said.

“It’s happening anywhere where drinking water is coming out of the sewer plant,” he said, noting that the estrogen is typically flushed into the waterways as urine. He said many people also dispose the medications containing the female hormone in the toilets

“It is an issue,” he said.

Considine, who said Tittel’s claims about the connection to drinking water are a “stretch,” acknowledged that chemicals run off the land from agricultural operations have infiltrated N.J. waterways, but they didn’t necessarily find their way to drinking water supplies.

He also acknowledged chemicals have been discharged by wastewater treatment plants, including common pharmaceuticals, that wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove.

“An example is birth control medications. The body flushes the chemical out through urine. This urine then goes to your local sewage treatment plant. The sewage treatment plan is designed to treat human wastes but are not designed to remove these chemicals,” he said. “Birth control pills and other medications contain chemicals that could be affecting the gender characteristics of male fish. These chemicals are known as endocrine disruptors.”

He also said the DEP is “continuing to monitor all of the science on this topic, and has taken steps in conjunction with other state and local agencies to educate the public about not disposing their prescription medications down the toilet.”

“But how to address the fact that wastewater treatment plants don’t capture all of these chemicals before discharging their effluent remains the subject of many studies that are looking at ecological impacts, relative health risks, and potential costs of various treatment technologies,” he said.

At the Wallkill Refuge, he said, most -- if not all anglers—fish for sport purposes. “It’s not likely that anyone is doing subsistence fishing in the Wallkill and consuming large quantities of fish caught there,” he said. “The Wallkill falls under our general statewide fish advisories for freshwater fish, which most regular anglers are familiar with.”