Poisoned Waters

PBS' Frontline will be airing a report entitled Poisoned Waters next Tuesday, April 21st. It will cover the effects on humans and ecosystems of the toxins contaminating our watersheds, including the point I wrote about the other day concerning our strong similarities with fish and other creatures provably harmed by what we're putting into the environment from, among other sources, industrial agriculture.

From Frontline's press release:

... “The endocrine system of fish is very similar to the endocrine system of humans,” USGS fish pathologist Vicki Blazer says. “They pretty much have all the same hormone systems as humans, which is why we use them as sort of indicator species. ... We can’t help but make that jump to ask the question, ‘How are these things influencing people?’”

“The long-term, slow-motion risk is already being spelled out in epidemiologic data, studies—large population studies,” says Dr. Robert Lawrence of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. “There are 5 million people being exposed to endocrine disruptors just in the Mid-Atlantic region, and yet we don’t know precisely how many of them are going to develop premature breast cancer, going to have problems with reproduction, going to have all kinds of congenital anomalies of the male genitalia, things that are happening at a broad low level so that they don’t raise the alarm in the general public.” ...

The broad nature of the risk, the uncertainty of outcomes, these factors can prevent policymakers from taking decisive action or the public from raising much alarm. But how much extra risk for cancer and congenital defects do people want to take on?

We're talking serious consequences, especially in a country that doesn't guarantee people health care. Anyway, I'll be tuning in.