[Pharmwaste] Hormones polluting water & food, doctors say

Tenace, Laurie Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.us
Mon, 1 Aug 2005 15:35:07 -0400


This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------_=_NextPart_001_01C596D0.1F453D21
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Hormones polluting water and food, doctors say=20

More men are seeking breast reduction surgery, a jump some doctors blame =
on
female hormones contaminating water and food supplies.=20

Members of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons =
reported 22
male breast reduction surgeries in 2003, a number that more than doubled =
to
53 in 2004.

Many of the men undergoing the surgery exhibit breasts that do not look =
like
fat deposits from weight gain. "We are seeing a group of male patients =
who
have glandular tissue growing in their breasts that are feminine in
appearance," said Alan Kingdon, a cosmetic surgeon in London. "This =
group of
patients appears to be on the increase. I can only speculate as to the
causes, but I would suspect that the use of estrogen in the food chain =
is a
factor."=20

"Hormones contained in the food we eat, particularly fast food, may be =
one of
the reasons why we are seeing this increase," said Yannis Alexandrides, =
a
surgeon at the Kosmeticos clinic in London (Sarah-Kate Templeton, London
Times).

A United Kingdon Environment Agency survey issued last year found that =
traces
of female contraceptive pills in sewage discharge are changing the =
gender of
more than a third of male fish in English rivers.

More than a third of 1,500 male fish samples in 42 English rivers showed
female characteristics, according to the 20-year survey. The Environment
Agency asked sewage treatment plants last week to study ways to remove =
traces
of estrogen hormones from contraceptive pills before releasing treated
wastewater. At issue is the synthetic hormone ethinyloestradiol, which =
is
found in contraceptive pills and acts as an endocrine disrupter in male =
fish,
particularly young fish. The synthetic hormone is about 1,000 times =
stronger
than natural estrogen and lasts up to 90 days in water, or 20 times =
longer
than natural estrogen (Greenwire, July 12, 2004).

=20

=20

Laurie J. Tenace

Environmental Specialist

Florida Department of Environmental Protection

2600 Blair Stone Road, MS 4555

Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400

PH: (850) 245-8759

FAX: (850) 245-8811

Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.us

=20

view our mercury web pages at:=20

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/default.htm

=20

=20

=20


------_=_NextPart_001_01C596D0.1F453D21
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<html>

<head>
<META HTTP-EQUIV=3D"Content-Type" CONTENT=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Dus-ascii">
<meta name=3DGenerator content=3D"Microsoft Word 11 (filtered)">

<style>
<!--
 /* Style Definitions */
 p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
	{margin:0in;
	margin-bottom:.0001pt;
	font-size:11.0pt;
	font-family:Arial;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
	{color:blue;
	text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
	{color:purple;
	text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
	{font-family:Arial;
	color:windowtext;}
@page Section1
	{size:8.5in 11.0in;
	margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;}
div.Section1
	{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>

</head>

<body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue vlink=3Dpurple>

<div class=3DSection1>

<p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'background:white;text-autospace:none'><b><font
size=3D5 color=3Dblack face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:16.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black;font-weight:bold'>Hormones =
polluting
water and food, doctors say </span></font></b></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;margin-left:
0in;background:white;text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3 color=3Dblack
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black'>More men are seeking breast reduction surgery, a jump some =
doctors
blame on female hormones contaminating water and food supplies. =
</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;margin-left:
0in;background:white;text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3 color=3Dblack
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black'>Members of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic =
Surgeons
reported 22 male breast reduction surgeries in 2003, a number that more =
than
doubled to 53 in 2004.</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;margin-left:
0in;background:white;text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3 color=3Dblack
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:black'>Many of the men undergoing the surgery exhibit breasts that =
do not
look like fat deposits from weight gain. &quot;We are seeing a group of =
male
patients who have glandular tissue growing in their breasts that are =
feminine
in appearance,&quot; said Alan Kingdon, a cosmetic surgeon in London.
&quot;This group of patients appears to be on the increase. I can only
speculate as to the causes, but I would suspect that the use of estrogen =
in the
food chain is a factor.&quot; </span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'background:white;text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3
color=3Dblack face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black'>&quot;Hormones contained in the food we =
eat,
particularly fast food, may be one of the reasons why we are seeing this
increase,&quot; said Yannis Alexandrides, a surgeon at the Kosmeticos =
clinic in
London (Sarah-Kate Templeton, London <i><span =
style=3D'font-style:italic'>Times</span></i>).</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'background:white;text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3
color=3Dblack face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black'>A United Kingdon Environment Agency =
survey issued
last year found that traces of female contraceptive pills in sewage =
discharge
are changing the gender of more than a third of male fish in English =
rivers.</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal =
style=3D'background:white;text-autospace:none'><font size=3D3
color=3Dblack face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black'>More than a third of 1,500 male fish =
samples in
42 English rivers showed female characteristics, according to the =
20-year
survey. The Environment Agency asked sewage treatment plants last week =
to study
ways to remove traces of estrogen hormones from contraceptive pills =
before
releasing treated wastewater. At issue is the synthetic hormone
ethinyloestradiol, which is found in contraceptive pills and acts as an
endocrine disrupter in male fish, particularly young fish. The synthetic
hormone is about 1,000 times stronger than natural estrogen and lasts up =
to 90
days in water, or 20 times longer than natural estrogen (<i><span
style=3D'font-style:italic'>Greenwire</span></i>, July 12, =
2004).</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Laurie
J. Tenace</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Environmental
Specialist</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Florida
Department of Environmental Protection</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>2600</span></font><font
 size=3D2><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'> Blair Stone Road, =
MS</span></font><font
size=3D2><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'> 4555</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Tallahassee</span></font><font
 size=3D2><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>, Florida =
32399-2400</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>PH:
(850) 245-8759</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>FAX:
(850) 245-8811</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'><a
href=3D"mailto:Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.us">Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.=
us</a></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>view
our mercury web pages at: </span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'><a
href=3D"http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/default.htm">=
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/default.htm</a></span=
></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

</div>

</body>

</html>

------_=_NextPart_001_01C596D0.1F453D21--