Study: Hormones altering marine biology

BOSTON, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- A study of U.S. coastal waters has discovered marine biology being altered by the presence of human hormones.

Southern California Coastal Water Research Project toxicologist Steven Bay said his study found human medicines such as hormones and hormone-altering chemicals are finding their way into the coastal waters and are impacting marine life, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.

Bay said the presence of the chemicals indicated attempts to dilute pollution through the use of seawater are not successfully removing such potentially dangerous hormones and other chemicals.

"Dilution is not the solution for some of these newer compounds," Bay told the newspaper.

In the areas where the chemicals were found, scientists found marine life with unnatural high levels of hormones, particularly male flatfish with high levels of estrogen.

While Bay said his study did not find any indications the hormones were threatening the lives or reproductive abilities of the marine life, he did suggest that sewage-treatment plants significantly alter their treatment efforts, the Times said.