Synthetic biofilter removes estrogens from drinking water
Wednesday, November 7, 2012 - 13:02
in Biology & Nature
Conventional methods of filtering waste water in sewage treatment plants are unable to completely remove medicine residues such as the estrogens in birth control pills. These residues then find their way into rivers and lakes and also accumulate in our drinking water. For fish and other aquatic life, estrogens can lead to reproductive and developmental disorders and even to the formation of female characteristics in males. The potential long-term consequences for human beings -- declining sperm counts, infertility, various cancers, and osteoporosis -- are still largely unknown. Students have now identified enzymes from fungi growing on trees that can filter out medicine residues from sewage and drinking water.