Biologists looking to see if those hormones affect fish exposed them to trace amounts of a synthetic version of Ethinylestradiol, used in most birth control pills. In addition to birth control, it's used as menopausal hormone therapy, to prevent osteoporosis and as a palliative treatment for breast cancer. 'So when women on birth control or hormone therapy go to the bathroom, it gets flushed into wastewater treatment plants.' 'Our wastewater treatment systems are good at removing a lot of things, but they weren't designed to remove pharmaceuticals,' Jackson said. 'So when women on birth control or hormone therapy go to the bathroom, it gets flushed into wastewater treatment plants.'

Source: Daily Mail October 23, 2020 23:15 UTC