Estrogen+in+rivers+may+target+fish+hearts

I think this article is relevant to the curriculum I just reviewed, in which I suggested editing the curriculum by presenting the fish as a system, existing within a system, and how human-caused disasters have detrimental impacts on their systems.

Rivers containing hormone-altering chemicals show poor development of hearts in their fish species. They are unsure which chemical is causing the problem and what the potential effects on the fish are. The change may be caused by sewage runoff that flows into the waterways, containing estrogen-rich urine, soy, pesticides, BPA, and birth control pill hormones, all which may alter the estrogen levels of the water.

While there are thousands of chemicals present in the water, most are at low enough concentrations that they do not affect the immediate environment. This problem should provoke an interest in understanding what exactly is causing the problem. People need to be aware that once their waste is out of their site, it is not gone forever, and that dumping into rivers or oceans causes sustainability problems that have consequences that may eventually circulate back to impact the human. A cultural transformation may be provoked by an appreciation for the rivers and the fish, and an understanding of how we can solve our human problems (getting rid of waste) without causing problems for our earth-sharing neighbors, the fish. Or any other species for that matter.

Bienkowski, Brian. "Estrogen in Rivers May Target Fish Hearts." //Environmental Health News.// Environmental Health Sciences, 04 Feb. 2014. Web. 04 Feb. 2014.