Spirit Creek

From the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

Have water, will travel! USGS scientists found that endocrine-disrupting chemicals can travel quite some distance from where they get into the stream. In the case of Spirit Creek near Fort Gordon, GA, the chemicals traveled more than 2 kilometers downstream of a wastewater treatment plant.

In addition, there was little change in the overall number of endocrine-disrupting chemicals found, and onlylimited decreases in the concentration of these compounds. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals interfere with the endocrine or hormonal systems in animals, so figuring out where they end up is important for policymakers and land managers.

You can access the study itself here:http://on.doi.gov/1DyvoYm This study was featured in our Winter 2015 USGS GeoHealth Newsletter, so if you’d like to see more environmental health science, why not check it out? http://www.usgs.gov/envirohealth/geohealth/

Image shows Spirit Creek, GA, which is typical of a stream in coastal environments. Credit: Tom Abrahamsen, USGS #science #USGS #toxicology