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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Thanks Ed,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>I’ve enjoyed your exuberance and sharing of information on this listserve.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Ok, is it fair to assume there’s been no studies showing (graphically) a species of fish potentially becoming extinct because of intersexing via endocrine disruption?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Seems WQ Planning branches within each State’s DEQ should be more knowledgeable about this to help the USGS compile info for the above probability. “Boots in the water” by these folks could be gathering much more aquatic life information to add to the USGS’.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Ed Gottlieb [mailto:EGottlieb@cityofithaca.org] <br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, December 18, 2015 10:07 AM<br><b>To:</b> Tenace, Laurie; Gilliam, Allen; 'pharmwaste@lists.dep.state.fl.us'<br><b>Subject:</b> RE: [Pharmwaste] "Intersex" male bass found throughout protected Northeast US waters<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'>Hi Allen,<br><br>There have been many studies showing negative effects on fishes ability to feed and reproduce.<br>A couple of examples:<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'><a href="http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2013/fish-on-prozac" target="_blank">http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2013/fish-on-prozac</a><br>Summary: </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'> Males ignored females & took longer to capture prey. At slightly higher exposure levels (within range found in POTW effluent): Females had reduced egg production and males became aggressive, sometimes killing females.</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'><a href="http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2015/apr/diabetes-fish-endocrine-disruption-hormones-metformin" target="_blank">http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2015/apr/diabetes-fish-endocrine-disruption-hormones-metformin</a></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'><br>"Male minnows exposed to a widely used diabetes drug ubiquitous in wastewater effluent had feminized reproductive parts and were smaller and less fertile, according to a <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653515002830%20%20%20%20%20">new study</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'>It is the first study to examine the drug metformin’s impact on fish endocrine systems and suggests that non-hormone pharmaceuticals pervasive in wastewater may cause reproductive and development problems in exposed fish."<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'><br>Links to many interesting papers, done with USGS support, can be found at the bottom of this story:<br><a href="http://toxics.usgs.gov/highlights/2015-11-13-pharmacuticals_and_minnows.html" target="_blank">http://toxics.usgs.gov/highlights/2015-11-13-pharmacuticals_and_minnows.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'>Ed Gottlieb<br>Chair, Coalition for Safe Medication Disposal<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'>Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'>Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility<br>525 3</span><sup><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>rd</span></sup><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'> Street<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'>Ithaca, NY 14850<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'>(607) 273-8381<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'>fax: (607) 273-8433<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></div><div><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><hr size=3 width="100%" align=center></span></div><div id=divRpF155655><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'> <a href="mailto:pharmwaste-bounces@lists.dep.state.fl.us">pharmwaste-bounces@lists.dep.state.fl.us</a> [pharmwaste-bounces@lists.dep.state.fl.us] on behalf of Tenace, Laurie [Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.us]<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, December 18, 2015 9:57 AM<br><b>To:</b> Gilliam, Allen; 'pharmwaste@lists.dep.state.fl.us'<br><b>Subject:</b> RE: [Pharmwaste] "Intersex" male bass found throughout protected Northeast US waters</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Hi Al, </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>I can think of one study: the one in a research lake in Canada several years ago where they introduced low levels of estrogen and the population crashed. <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070521-sex-fish.html" target="_blank">http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070521-sex-fish.html</a> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:15.6pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>“Kidd and colleagues from Canada's federal fisheries agency added the synthetic estrogen found in birth control pills to a remote, isolated lake set aside for such experiments in northwestern <a href="http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/places/provinces/province_ontario.html" target="_blank"><span style='color:#044E8E;text-decoration:none'>Ontario, Canada</span></a>. </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:15.6pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>For three summers the researchers added estrogen at levels found in untreated municipal wastewaters. </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Several fish species live in the lake, including the short-lived fathead minnow.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:15.6pt'><span style='font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#343434'>After the first summer, male minnows were producing egg proteins. By the second year their sperm cells were undeveloped. Shortly after that they produced eggs as well. </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>In addition, females were producing more egg protein than normal, and their sexual development was also delayed, Kidd said.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:15.6pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>The result was an impaired ability of the minnows to reproduce, which caused the population to collapse in the second year of the study, the researchers found. </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>The population even failed to recover in the two years after the researchers stopped adding estrogen, indicating the effects were quite persistent, according to Kidd.”</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>(More at the link)</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Laurie</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='color:black'>From:</span></b><span style='color:black'> Gilliam, Allen [<a href="mailto:GILLIAM@adeq.state.ar.us">mailto:GILLIAM@adeq.state.ar.us</a>] <br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, December 18, 2015 9:51 AM<br><b>To:</b> Tenace, Laurie <<a href="mailto:Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.us">Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.us</a>>; 'pharmwaste@lists.dep.state.fl.us' <<a href="mailto:pharmwaste@lists.dep.state.fl.us">pharmwaste@lists.dep.state.fl.us</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> RE: [Pharmwaste] "Intersex" male bass found throughout protected Northeast US waters<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Thanks Laurie, interesting story once again.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>(c’mon Laurie!! Almost 80°F on Christmas day and 82 the next?)</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Does anyone “out there” know if there’s been any studies conducted demonstrating a decrease in affected fishes’ population? Seems we’ve beat the intersexing story into acceptation so the next step would be to present the potential outcome showing downward population trends = future extinction? That type of report should raise some political hackles and hopefully some serious legislation…</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Look how long it took for global warming to be (almost 100%) accepted and some worldwide actions promised. Don’t think our aquatic life have the luxury of that time.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Wishing all a Merry Christmas and, of course, a prosperous New Year!</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Sincerely,</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Allen Gilliam</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>ADEQ State Pretreatment Coordinator</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>501.682.0625</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'> <a href="mailto:pharmwaste-bounces@lists.dep.state.fl.us" target="_blank">pharmwaste-bounces@lists.dep.state.fl.us</a> [<a href="mailto:pharmwaste-bounces@lists.dep.state.fl.us" target="_blank">mailto:pharmwaste-bounces@lists.dep.state.fl.us</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Tenace, Laurie<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, December 18, 2015 8:18 AM<br><b>To:</b> 'pharmwaste@lists.dep.state.fl.us'<br><b>Subject:</b> [Pharmwaste] "Intersex" male bass found throughout protected Northeast US waters</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:#333333'><a href="http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2015/dec/endocrine-disruption-fish-rivers-national-wildlife-refuge" target="_blank">http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2015/dec/endocrine-disruption-fish-rivers-national-wildlife-refuge</a></span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:#333333'> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Eighty-five percent of male smallmouth bass tested in or nearby 19 National Wildlife Refuges in the U.S. Northeast had signs of female reproductive parts, according to a new <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651315301093" target="_blank"><span style='color:#253B8F;text-decoration:none'>federal study</span></a>.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:#333333'>The study, led by the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, also reported that 27 percent of male largemouth bass in the testing sites were intersex.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:#333333'>The study is the first of its kind in National Wildlife Refuges and adds to growing evidence that endocrine disrupting chemicals are getting into U.S. lakes, rivers, streams and reservoirs—no matter how protected the waters seem. And such contamination seems to affect the reproductive development of some fish species, which can lead to threatened populations.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:#333333'>For the bass in this study, those considered “intersex” either had a protein that is used to make egg yolk typically found in females, or immature egg cells in their testes, said co author Fred Pinkney, a biologist with the U.S. Fisheries and Wildlife.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:#333333'>“The eggs were in the very, very early stages,” he added.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:#333333'>But any change to fish reproductive systems could possibly threaten overall fish populations and ability to properly reproduce.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:#333333'>During the fall seasons of 2008 to 2010, the researchers tested a total of 118 male smallmouth bass from 12 locations and 85 percent were intersex. They tested an additional 173 male largemouth bass from 27 sampling sites and 27 percent were intersex.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:#333333'>It’s not entirely clear why the bass were intersex as the researchers did not test the waters for specific chemicals, said lead author Luke Iwanowicz, a research biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:#333333'>However, the suspected culprits of the sex changes are endocrine disrupting compounds.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:#333333'>This includes hormones, industrial chemicals and pesticides that are or mimic estrogen hormones. These compounds enter rivers and streams via permitted effluents, stormwater and agricultural runoff, and wastewater treatment plants, where excreted birth control and natural estrogens pass through relatively un-altered.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:#333333'>The study is just the latest to find intersex fish in U.S. waterways and builds on a <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19717194" target="_blank"><span style='color:#253B8F;text-decoration:none'>U.S. Geological Survey study in 2009</span></a> that showed intersex male fish in nine U.S. river basins, though that study didn't include Northeast basins. The bass tested in the Northeast waterways had a higher prevalence of intersex than the fish in the 2009 study. </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:#333333'>It seems that certain fish species may be more sensitive to estrogenic compounds than others, as evidenced by the disparity between largemouth and smallmouth bass in this study. Previous studies also have reported that smallmouth bass seem more susceptible to intersex changes.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:#333333'>However it’s not clear if this is actual physical sensitivity to the chemicals or if it’s due to some species spending more time in more contaminated habitats.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:#333333'>National Wildlife Refuges are areas protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There are more than 560 such refuges nationally.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:#333333'>The national refuges tested spanned from eastern Ohio up to Maine and included: the Patuxent Research, Susquehanna, Montezuma, Great Swamp, Wallkill River, Great Meadows, Assabet River, Rappahannock River Valley, Mason Neck, Back Bay, John Heinz, Erie, Cherry Valley, Great Bay, Lake Umbagog, Sunkhaze Meadows, Missisquoi, Moosehorn and Ohio River Islands refuges.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Pinkney said the bass indicate that many aquatic species in Northeast U.S. refuges may be exposed to estrogenic chemicals.</span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:#333333'>“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service encourages management actions that reduce runoff into streams, ponds and lakes—both on and off of refuge lands,” he said.<br> </span><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Laurie Tenace<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Environmental Specialist<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Waste Reduction Section<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Florida Department of Environmental Protection<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>2600 Blair Stone Road, MS4555<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Tallahassee, FL 32399<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'><a href="mailto:Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.us" target="_blank">Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.us</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>850.245.8759<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>