This week's Frontline: "Poisoned Waters"

[MountainLaurel]

About endocrine disrupters:

After more than a quarter of a century of Clean Water Act legislation and enforcement, the Washington area's river and bay waters are nowhere near as healthy as they should be.

The main sources of the impairments are no mystery: sedimentation, agricultural runoff, rainwater running off paved surfaces. But recently, it has come to light that there is more going on in the Potomac River than meets the eye. While we have long tracked traditional pollutants, "Poisoned Waters," the documentary that will run on PBS's "Frontline" on Tuesday, highlights a new face in the lineup: chemical compounds that interact with and possibly interfere with the workings of the endocrine system. The endocrine system controls growth, metabolism and reproduction in humans and animals.

This class of pollutants is called "endocrine disruptors." These compounds are the primary suspect in the mystery of intersex fish that have been found in the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. To date, we know that these compounds disrupt the development of many aquatic species, most notably male smallmouth bass that have developed eggs. This condition has been documented in the Potomac River watershed and beyond. It is becoming a global phenomenon.

Washington area residents get almost 90 percent of their drinking water from the river. Endocrine disruptors may enter our water in many different ways. Chemical-laden runoff from our lawns and roads flows into the river through the storm sewer system. Pharmaceuticals and personal-care products go down our toilets and drains and through the wastewater treatment plant, which does not remove them. Agricultural chemicals wash out of fields and chicken houses and into nearby streams. Drinking-water treatment plants do not treat for these chemicals before the water is delivered to our tap. In short, every place where water and chemicals combine becomes a potential source of endocrine disruptors in our drinking water.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/18/AR2009041801950.html

And the Frontline page for the epi:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/poisonedwaters/

[pleah]

1. K&R

[progressoid]

2. Frontline: brought to you by Dow Chemicals?

Let's hope they don't pull any punches like they did with the health insurance show.

[glitch]

3. I wouldn't hold my breath. nt

[Muttocracy]

4. kick and link to the website - or watch it 9 Eastern (will cover more than endocrine disruptors)

They're starting to post the videos now - not sure if they're doing a live simulcast or just got the videos up early:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/poisonedwaters/

[stuntcat]

5. I'm about to watch

And they played a preview of it on Newshour so maybe it will get more viewers.

[Muttocracy]

6. I don't have TV but I'm going to watch the videos live now and pretend

I'm watching it along with everyone else.

:hi:

[MountainLaurel]

7. Those who watched, what did you think?

I'm afraid I missed most of it, and just tuned in for bits and pieces. (Saw the bit about the aerial photography of the chicken farms.)

[stuntcat]

8. I saw the first 45 minutes

I saw that part, because I got ALL the info about how nasty our MEAT FARMS are :puke: x(

Then they stared talking more, I think, about the number of fish dying and huge enormous dead zones in the Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico and even in Washington State I think.. This was where I fell asleep on the couch with my cat :blush: I had been up since 5:30.

I want everyone I know to see what they showed about the chicken farms. I'm going to order a copy of it. Or see if someone at my PBS can get me one, I was going to the station today anyway.