Feminized male fish were found downstream of the sewage treatment plants’ effluent in the Grand River of Metro Kitchener (my city). Fish were found to be normal upstream of all the sewage treatment plants. The male fish in question, while usually carrying microscopic eggs, were carrying eggs easily visible to the naked eye. This usually only occurs in the females.
‘Does the effluent come from a nuclear plant?’ some are sure to wonder, the connection between radiation and mutation being so strong in our society. The only nuclears I am aware of in this city would be ones that exist in every mid size city – radiation at hospitals and in smoke detectors, etc. In Ontario we keep our nuclear reactors far away from inland Kitchener, on the Great Lakes of Ontario and Huron. Ostensibly it is for the purpose of having a lot of water nearby and for use, but really it’s a matter of if Ontario goes down, we’re taking our neighbouring US states with us.
The contaminant in the effluent must be chemical. And indeed, I’ve heard of chemical pollutants affecting sex before. Apparently pollutants like PCBs and DDT can skew the ratio of males to females toward the female side. I’d say let’s pollute enough that there are 2 girls for every boy or maybe even a full harem for every guy, but enough of this pollution might stop our ability to propagate the species.
So the pollution that has caused the change is likely chemical. Indeed it could even be directly from female hormones being flushed down the toilet, without even resorting to PCBs and DDT.
And I’m quite sure that the transgendered community has heard the insults of some of their neighbours crying “Unnatural”. Look at that article again. The normal male fish have eggs. Natural female hormones might have turned them more female. Maybe more exposure will turn them all the way to female. Nature is strange. Is it surprising that the creatures of nature are strange?
What I wonder about is those new lightbulbs that are supposed to be replacing the old style filiament lightbulbs. The old ones are supposedly being phased out “for our own good.”
Those compact fluorescent lightbulbs cost a lot more than old fashioned ones. Claims of how long these fancy bulbs will last have been greatly exagerated. Not only that, they can catch fire. That happened to the one in my bedside lamp, and although it didn’t burn the house down, it released a horrible chemical stench that drove me to sleep on the sofa for a week before it dissipated.
These bulbs are actually hazardous waste, but does anyone actually make the special trip to the dump? I wasn’t an early adopter, and I’ve had more than one fail. Does anyone else actually deliver these to the hazardous waste dump sites? If not, the mercury or whatever nasty stuff will be leaching into the soil, and thus into the aquifers…
Yeah the compact fluorescent light bulbs only last as long as ordinary light bulbs and cost more (you’re supposed to save on electricity which should make up the price). I personally keep a spot in the drawer for the dead ones and eventually they’re supposed to make it to the proper spot in the landfill. Does the city sometimes have a mobile hazardous waste pickup day or do we all have to make it out to the landfill site?
Matt Foster is trying to get a law passed to prevent this kind of thing:
Survival Law # 5 (Hormone Mimicking Chemicals)