Estrogen
Is your BPA-free water bottle as safe as you think it is?
In 2008, the FDA banned Bisphenol A (BPA) in children’s products over rising evidence and concerns that the chemical acted like a hormone and led to potentially serious health problems. BPA-free bottles hit the market — and new research suggests those may be no safer.
The Search for Evidence in the Okefenokee
Alligators have outlived the dinosaurs, and survived predation by human beings. But now, they’re facing a new threat: synthetic chemicals which interfere with their ability to reproduce. Steve Curwood visits the Okefenokee Swamp, where scientists are investigating the effects of estrogen-mimicking hormones found in common industrial compounds on the sexual development of alligators.
Gender-Bending Fish
There’s something fishy about Colorado’s South Platte River. Researchers there have found increasing numbers of mutant fish ? male fish with female attributes. And they suspect wastewater carrying estrogenic compounds like birth control pills might be the source of the mutations. Host Steve Curwood talks with head researcher David Norris, of the University of Colorado, […]