Chemicals Changing the Sex of Fish in Potomac River.

More than 80% of the male bass fish in Washington's major river are now exhibiting female traits such as egg production because of a "toxic stew" of pollutants, scientists and campaigners reported yesterday. Intersex fish probably result from drugs, such as the contraceptive pill, and other chemicals being flushed into the water and have been found right across the US.

Green Man: Oh, great. We already know about mercury being common in fish but now they're packed full of hormones!! Our girls are going to be maturing at five years old pretty soon and our boys will have no testicles. At least that seems like a possible conclusion from ingesting a soup of mixed random chemicals. Other chemicals found in our water? Antibiotics: Ever wonder why antibiotics don't work as well lately? Because they're found in many of the substances we ingest like inorganic milk, which can cause us to build up an immunity to them.

Nearly 40% of all U.S. antibiotics are injected into livestock as artificial growth enhancers. Next, heavy duty psychiatric medications: I'm not sure what effects they'd have in the water table but I do know from having to take them that they can cause diabetes and hypertension. Ahhh, nothing like a fresh glass of diabetes for our growing kids, eh?!! Other shit in the water? Nicotine, pain pills and even veterinarian medications!!! And we wonder why cancer rates are on the rise? The other area of concern is with our farms because high amounts of fertilizers and pesticides are showing up in run-off water.

I did a recent post on my Buddhist Blog about saving Lumbini (the birthplace of Buddha) from environmental degradation. One of the problems is that a pillar that dates back to 200 BCE is being warn down by pollution from a row of new concrete and steel plants. Now, if it that pollution can erode a stone pill--what do you think it's doing to the much more vulnerable human body? Global warming/climate change is just the tip of the iceberg if you'll excuse the pun of the overall environmental problem.

The next big problem is going to be a global water crisis. Rising temperatures are evaporating clean drinking water and the rest is often too polluted to safely use. Water will be the new conflict commodity in this new century replacing oil if we don't promote better water policies world wide, which includes tackling the overall warming trend. But we have to crack down on these factories dumping shit into our water systems and educate people to dispose of their medications in an environmentally sound manner. Visit, "Dispose My Meds" website to find locations that will take your unused pills and learn other information.

PHOTO CREDIT: Mutant fishes from the t.v. animated comedy, "The Simpsons".

~The Green Man has Spoken~