Waste water treatment plants fail to completely eliminate new chemical compounds
Thursday, October 8, 2015 - 11:30
in Biology & Nature
Deformities, feminisation and fall in reproductive capacity are some of the effects that living organisms can be afflicted by due to changes in the endocrine system caused by these compounds. A study conducted on the Basque coast by a research group indicates that the most polluted waters, the ones with the highest levels of bioconcentration, the highest percentage of intersex fish, etc. exist around waste water treatment plants. Most of these plants are not equipped to eliminate the new compounds, because legislation in this matter has yet to catch up with the development of the chemical industry. The journal Science of The Total Environment has recently published a paper on the subject.