With industrial and agricultural effluents, sewage works and landfill sites contributing to the pollution levels in our water sources and environment, the quality of our drinking water is fast becoming a debateable topic. Waste water treatment systems are generally geared for removing biological
With industrial and agricultural effluents, sewage works and landfill sites contributing to the pollution levels in our water sources and environment, the quality of our drinking water is fast becoming a debateable topic. Waste water treatment systems are generally geared for removing biological activities rather than chemical ones and as a result, Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) - which are harmful chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system of animals and humans and can compromise their reproductive systems and thyroid signalling mechanisms - are likely to be found in the grey water that comes out of sewage treatment plants contaminating environmental water. If this water is used as a source for drinking water there is a potential health risk, as less sophisticated drinking water treatment plants may not be equipped to remove EDCs from their processes.
While very limited research in South Africa focuses on EDCs, a research team at the University of Pretoria (UP) has been conducting EDC studies in the laboratory and the field since 1999. The Environmental Chemical Pollution and Health (ECPH) Research Unit at UP was officially formed in 2012, and aims to investigate the effects of various EDCs on the environment and human health, with an emphasis on animal and human reprod