New AGL report calls for prioritizing, preventing Great Lakes contaminants
CHICAGO, IL, Nov. 27, 2012 -- The Great Lakes are home to 20 percent
of the world’s surface freshwater and, increasingly, host to a worrisome
class of chemical compounds known as contaminants of emerging concern. Often originating from everyday products ranging from shampoos and
pharmaceuticals to textiles and home furnishings, as well as from common
agricultural practices around the Midwest, these compounds can have
impacts on people and wildlife that are far from benign and are raising
concerns about their effects on the body’s endocrine system -- the
driver of key functions such as growth and development, metabolism and
reproduction. A report released today by the Alliance for the Great Lakes notes
that since the production of synthetic chemicals took off after World
War II, the waters of Lake Michigan -- which take a century to refresh
-- have yet to see a complete turnover. Halfway through this cycle, scientists are beginning to see alarming
trends of an increasing multitude of chemicals found in the water. In
southern Lake Michigan, one of the most urbanized and industrialized
areas in the Great Lakes Basin and home to approximately a third of the
Great Lakes population, these contaminants are a steady source of
chemical exposure for aquatic species, and affect the
quality of the waters we rely upon for drinking and look to for
recreation. “The number of chemicals entering the nation’s
environment
each year is staggering, as is the potential for them to degrade the
water we drink and swim in,” says Alliance President and CEO Joel
Brammeier. Upwards of 85,000 chemicals are in production and use in the
U.S. today -- more than 2,200 of them produced at a rate of 1
million-plus pounds a year. Beyond this, consumers can choose from more
than 50,000 pharmaceutical products, and nearly 20,000 registered
pesticide products have entered the market since registration began in
1947. The report applies a published, peer-reviewed scientific framework to
rank chemicals of highest concern found in national waters that are
representative of those found in the Great Lakes. The methodology
examines both surface water and treated
drinking water
-- identifying the top 20 emerging contaminants for each based on
occurrence, ecologic and human health impacts, and water treatment
capabilities. The top-ranking chemicals include representatives from a
broad range of categories: hormones, synthetic musks, antibiotics,
pharmaceuticals, antimicrobials and preservatives, UV blockers,
plasticizers, flame retardants and pesticides. As the chemical presence around us expands, the potential for them to
end up in the Great Lakes also grows -- arriving there via atmospheric
deposition,
stormwater runoff and sewage overflows. Others are released into the
Great Lakes at trace concentrations via treated wastewater discharges
because conventional sewage treatment isn’t designed to remove them. Lake Michigan’s surface waters are affected, with six of the top 20 chemicals detected -- among them flame retardants, synthetic fragrances, bisphenol A (BPA), and a popular cholesterol-lowering drug -- found in the open lake waters. Current data shows that, after processing in a treatment plant, drinking water drawn from Lake Michigan may not be significantly burdened with contaminants, with only one chemical -- a flame retardant -- detected of the top 20 identified in the report. The report cautions that the data collected thus far provides only a snapshot of what might be in the open waters of the Great Lakes, however, and doesn’t take into account the health risks that bioaccumulating chemicals in the water pose to people who eat Great Lakes fish. Also not known is the level of risk these trace levels of contaminants in the water actually pose for people and wildlife. “With hundreds of mostly unregulated compounds detected in Great
Lakes surface waters today, it’s critical to start identifying now those
chemicals that pose the greatest threat to the health of the lakes, the
wildlife and the 40 million people who depend on them for drinking
water,” says Olga Lyandres, Alliance research manager and author of the
report. Some municipalities and public utilities already monitor or study
emerging contaminants, among them Chicago, Milwaukee, and the Central
Lake County Joint Action Water Agency -- which supplies drinking water
to Lake Michigan communities in northern Illinois. But many smaller
communities, such as Gary, Ind. and Racine, Wis., don’t monitor for them
because of the absence of clear guidance on how to do so. Although
water
treatment plays a key role in removing contaminants, the report
emphasizes that water and wastewater utilities are not solely
responsible for preventing and controlling contaminants in Great Lakes
water. To that end, it calls for a comprehensive approach that involves
not only technological solutions, but collaboration among utilities,
regulatory agencies, public health officials, manufacturers and
environmentalists to focus on pollution prevention. “Together these entities must work to encourage policy, social and
behavioral changes that propel businesses to evaluate chemicals before
they enter the marketplace, and individuals to reduce their use of
chemicals -- thereby lessening the risks associated with the chemicals’
eventual release into the environment,” the report states. The report
further calls for: -- Funding development of consistent, uniform regional monitoring
standards. About the Alliance for the Great Lakes Formed in 1970, the Alliance for the Great Lakes is the oldest independent Great Lakes organization in North America. Our mission is to: conserve and restore the world's largest freshwater resource using policy, education and local efforts, ensuring a healthy Great Lakes and clean water for generations of people and wildlife. More about the Alliance for the Great Lakes is online at www.greatlakes.org.
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