Another Reason to Watch What You Eat

There’s something in the water, and it’s not a good thing. A new study conducted by the University of Pittsburg has found that extracts from channel catfish caught from heavily polluted waters can cause estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells to multiply. The fish tested in the study were caught from the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers close to Pittsburg. The channel catfish can concentrate fat soluble chemicals from their environment in their bodies, which gives an insight to what is going on the water. The chemicals found indicate the possibility that pharmaceutical waste, specifically estrogen and xeno-estrogen chemicals are ending up in the water supply, which supplies drinking water to the surrounding areas.

The study was conducted by Dr. Conrad Volz principal investigator of department of environmental and occupational health at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. Along with colleagues, he exposed extracts of channel fish to estrogen-responsive and estrogen non-responsive human breast cancer cells. In the estrogen-responsive cells, the exposure the extracts caused a multiplying of cells by binding and activating estrogen receptors. The extracts had no effect on the estrogen non-responsive cells.

This brings up serious questions says Dr. Volz, “In Pittsburgh alone, 16 billion gallons of raw, untreated sewage are deposited into area rivers every year with major implications for public health.” The next step in research will be to identify the specific chemicals that are mimicking estrogen, as well as their sources and how they are getting into the water in the first place. This research will be extremely important for women because the environment is increasingly emitting estrogen through the breakdown of various substances, including plastics.

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