Mark O Brien


Swimming in hormones

By Mark O’Brien

Over the past 50 years an increasing use of hormones, chemicals and pharmaceuticals is finally taking its toll on our waterways. We are literally swimming in hormones.

Hormones are fed to our animals thus entering the food chain, plus synthetic hormones leach out of plastics such as plastic water sewer pipes as well as many other types.

According to British scientists male fish in 10 rivers in the UK are demonstrating the impacts of the increased use of HRT and the contraceptive pill are having on the world’s waterways and fish.

A five year study showed that 50% of male fish had either developed eggs in their testes or female reproductive ducts; 10% of male fish were sterile and 25% had damaged sperm.

Dr. Theo Colborn and her co-authors of Our Stolen Future say that over-exposure to synthetic hormones is known to risk lower sperm count, prostate problems, reproductive problems in women (including miscarriages, tubal pregnancies, endometriosis, and breast cancer), and effects on intelligence, behaviour, development, and disease resistance.

Some people believe that human exposure to the Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH) present in meat and dairy products could be at the heart of the current epidemic in obesity.

Few hormones have ever been tested for their health impacts individually, let alone combined in a hormone soup.

Adapted by Mark O’Brien from A World Awash in Hormones by Lynn Landes. See also

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