SULPHUR

Could the wide use of the "pill" lead to major problems with male sterillity due to the amount of oestregen entering our water system.

Wounded King

Isnt this more of a science question.

I very much doubt it would, unless perhaps there is something to homeopathy after all.

Blinn

How is estrogen entering the water system?

SULPHUR

Women urinate and this goes into our river systems. The levels of oestragen have been found to effect the ratio of male to female fish in some species in europe.

GunnerJ

Correct.

ps418

I doubt it. The concentration of environmental oestrogens that could be attributed to the pill would be very low, I would think, compared to the other sources of environmental oestrogens. IIRC, virtually all of the environmental oestrogens are derived from organo-chloride pesticides or are manufacturing waste products, such as PCBs. Soy also contains fairly powerful phytoestrogens, BTW. The review below covers what was known until 1997, and does not mention any contribution of birth control pills. As far as I can tell, pill-derived oestrogens such as estradiol have not shown up in signficant amounts in drinking water. I could be wrong, though.

Also try a PubMed search of the phrase "environmental oestrogens."

Turner and Sharp, 1997. Environmental oestrogens – present understanding. Reviews of Reproduction 2, 69–73.

Patrick

Jackalope

the contraceptive patch, not pill has raised this very issue. Among other things, the manufacturers have claimed it's okay to flush the used patch down the toilet. That might indeed cause problems. However, the patch hasn't been in use nearly long enough for us to see any real effects yet. They've all been posed as future problems that might pop up.

SULPHUR

Recent european studies have shown a definite effect on fish in rivers where males began to exhibit female characteristics. In the last couple of years. More evidence to follow.