By Olivia O’Donnell, Sidwell Friends School
Over the past few decades, scientists have begun to understand the dangers of synthetic chemicals. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring alerted the world to the ramifications of pesticide use in 1962 and since then, there has been increased research into man-made chemicals and their harmful effects on our environment. One group of these chemicals, endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), have made their way into local waterways and pose a major threat to many aquatic ecosystems.
EDCs are chemicals that affect the body’s endocrine system, which controls reproduction, growth, and development. EDCs mimic the hormones used by the endocrine system, leading to abnormal processes and side effects in the body such as asthma, autoimmune diseases, learning disabilities, obesity, diabetes, infertility, and cancer. EDCs are dangerous in both high and low doses and can have lifelong effects, making them especially threatening.
Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals can be found in almost anything, including plastics, prescription medications, pesticides, soaps, sunscreens, preservatives, and insect repellent. These EDCs can pollute local waterways through agricultural runoff and wastewater. The D.C. Blue Plains plant, which deposits its water into the Potomac River, does not have the advanced technology needed to filter out EDCs in wastewater so they are released into the river. The plant is currently monitoring EDCs and says the best way to keep them out of the river is to keep them out of wastewater.
EDCs can be found in rivers across the United States and are having a significant impact on aquatic ecosystems. EDCs are believed to be the cause of the intersex fish in the Potomac River, which make up 80-100% of the smallmouth bass population. EDCs also have immunosuppressive properties and many more fish than usual have been dying of diseases they would usually be able to fight off. Fish in the Potomac have also become dangerous to eat due to the excessive amounts of chemicals in their bloodstream.
Avoiding products containing EDCs is an actionable step you can take to limit their pollution. Many personal care and household cleaning products contain EDCs, and when you use these products in your home, they can enter your wastewater and pollute local waterways. Triclosan, “fragrance,” Parabens, Oxybenzone, and Benzophenone are the main chemicals to look out for on product labels. Triclosan is found in many antibacterial products, Parabens are in a wide variety of things, and Oxybenzone and Benzophenone are mainly in sunscreens. Since companies are not required to disclose what chemicals they use to add scent to their products, the label “fragrance” (sometimes “parfum” or “aroma”) often covers up EDCs and other harmful chemicals. Looking out for these chemicals can be tricky, so you can also check out the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep and Healthy Cleaning guides to find products without EDCs.
I decided to focus on EDCs for my Girl Scout Gold Award, which is an 80-hour service project in your community. I row crew on the Potomac River and after seeing its beauty every morning, I decided I wanted to help protect it. For my project, I am doing an advocacy campaign about EDCs to inform people about how their individual choices can protect the river and reduce our negative impact on the environment. I started by creating an infographic and flyer from my research, and distributed the flyers door-to-door and at local farmers’ markets, talking to everyone I met there about EDCs. I also created a presentation and spoke to environmental clubs at local schools and groups of DC residents. The issue is an important one, and dangerously, one that goes rather unaddressed in the environmental movement. I urge you all to take action to reduce your computation of EDC containing products.
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