The usual low media coverage has been given to a new study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that discovered "intersex" fish in several key Pennsylvania waterways which are the result of pollution by chemicals such as those found in common birth control pills.

The Times of Trenton is reporting on the study which was conducted between 2007 and 2010 by USGS scientists on fish samples taken from the Delaware, Susquehanna and Ohio rivers and their tributaries.

USGS fish biologist Vicki Blazer reportedly discovered that male small-mouth bass and white sucker fish were carrying immature eggs, a task usually carried out by female fish. Nearly all of the fish collected from these rivers showed similar intersex deformities.

Scientists believe this is the result of endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are seeping into the rivers from various sources.

"The fish’s endocrine system, which regulates hormones and reproductive systems, is being thrown off by the estrogen and estrogen-like chemicals being dumped into the water through both agricultural and human waste, such as manure and human waste water, along with synthetic chemicals coming from plastics and pharmaceutical chemicals that act like estrogens, such as the ones found in birth control pills," the Times reports.

Local environmental agencies say the findings are alarming.

“When you see these kinds of problems with fish, it’s like a canary in a coal mine — an indicator of bigger problems,” said Jeff Tittel, the executive director of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club, an environmental organization that seeks to influence public policy on environmental matters. He told the Times that the Sierra Club has been working to get New Jersey to regulate the dumping of chemicals, including pesticides and medications that contain synthetic hormones that are causing these "Franken-fish."

But it's been slow-going.

In the meantime, presence of these substances in the environment is impacting more than just fish. Humans are also suffering from the fallout.

According to Pedro Jose Maria Simon Castellvi, who served as president of the Vatican-based World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations, wrote an article appearing in L'Osservatore Romano that cited the pill as playing a role in rising male infertility rates.

"We have sufficient evidence to argue that one of the considerable factors contributing to male infertility in the West -- with its ever decreasing numbers of spermatozoa in men -- is environmental pollution caused by the byproducts of the pill" released in human waste, the article said.

Early puberty in girls and boys is also believed to be caused by the presence of these chemicals in the environment.

Adequately addressing this problem is posing to be an uphill battle however, mostly because few scientists are willing to confront the fact that the unnatural drugs being given to women to regulate births are wreaking as much havoc on the environment as they are on women's health.

As this article in the National Catholic Register explains, environmentalists who are quick to condemn everything from pesticide use to aerosol cans simply refuse to acknowledge  the role birth control pills are playing in the problem. The Register cites a comment by Curt Cunningham, water quality issues chairman for the Rocky Mountain chapter of Sierra Club International, who admitted that he had no intention of asking anyone to rethink the use of birth control patches and pills in spite of the harm they do to the environment.

“For many people it’s an economic necessity," Cunningham said. "It’s also a personal freedom issue.”

It seems impossible that these are the same strident environmentalists who are willing to tolerate far less when it comes to protecting our precious planet. Could these same people actually allow  "personal freedom" and "economic necessity" to trump the dumping of dangerous chemicals into our waterways just because they come from birth control pills?  Apparently so, and because of their hypocritical "enforcement" policies, all of us will continue to suffer.

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