Can river pollution cause male infertility?
[BioNews, London] Pollutants have been found in British rivers that could account for the decreasing male fertility in the country. A study that examined wild male fish in rivers developing female reproductive organs found a link between this and the presence of ‘anti-androgens’ in the water. These drugs, used in medicines such as treatments for prostate cancer and also in pesticides in agriculture, block the function of the male sex hormone testosterone, and thereby reduce male fertility. It had previously been shown that oestrogen, the female sex hormone, in river water can cause ‘feminisation’ characteristics in fish, such as male fish developing eggs in their testes, and can lead to male fish actually changing sex. Oestrogen is thought to enter rivers via the sewage system, from the contraceptive pill and from some industries. These new results, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, implicate anti-androgens in feminisation of fish. The three-year study was car
