Deck 29: Toxicity of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products Ppcps Into Water

Question 1

Based on its toxicity, why might triclosan be banned in the state of Minnesota?

Answer 1

Triclosan use causes freshwater fish or crustacean toxicity, affects the lifecycle of fathead minnows and phytoplankton populations. Its use in many toiletries and its presence in humans is a concern beyond the environmental concern. Methyltriclosan is a metabolite that also has toxicity.

Question 2

Why are sewage effluents from cities considered one of the most potent source of estrogenic endocrine disruptors?

Answer 2

The use of ethynylestradiol in birth control pills and other medications used by women lead to concerns for its presence in sewage. One of the first publications on these estrogenic endocrine disruptors found feminization in fish downstream from the sewage outflow of the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul into the Mississippi River. Pesticides coming from the agricultural drainage basin of the Minnesota River may also play some role in these effects as well.