Effluent toxins

Sewage treatment creates cocktail toxic to wildlife. "Some pharmaceuticals are excreted unmetabolized or in

conjugates which release the active molecule on sewage treatment. The persistence of some molecules in the

environment is greater than a year (Halling-Sorensen et al, 1998)".  

 

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"Australia is behind in understanding the levels of endocrine disrupting chemicals in waterways and their effects on wildlife reproductive systems" CSIRO

Environmental impacts have been attributed to the discharge of treated sewage effluents to receiving freshwater, estuarine and marine environments.

the lack of detailed information on sewage runoff chemistry and flow means that direct assessment of sewage effluent pollution to surface waters cannot be gauged

Is it a boy or a girl?
Jeffrey M. Levengood, Illinois Natural History Survey, Dept Veterinary Biosciences. UIUC

Oils, detergents, herbicides, insecticides, paints and solvents from households are sometimes poured down sinks and toilets, creating problems in the sewerage system and in our waterways.

However, Dr Fox emphasises that, while there is no existing threat to human health, there is a measurable effect on the natural ecosystem in the vicinity of the outfall.

Influence of Chronic Exposure to Treated Sewage Effluent on the Distribution of White Blood Cell Populations in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Spleen

In a series of studies, John Sumpter and his colleagues examined, but rejected at the time, that the substance might be a form of estrogen excreted by women in their urine after taking oral contraceptives. They showed that other substances, especially nonylphenol, were both capable of causing feminization and present in the water at levels sufficient to cause the problem.

Although giardia infections (popularly called "beaver fever") are treatable with drugs, cryptosporidium infections are not. As well, cryptosporidiosis can be life threatening for people with poorly functioning immune systems, such as those with AIDS or cancer, infants and the elderly. Consequently, these parasites represent a significant risk to public health.
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