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CaseStudy3.1 FeminisationofFish(EnglandandWales)

Of all the endocrine disrupters, perhaps most concern has been voiced over the
possible consequences of synthetic oestrogens. The most recent study into hormone
disruption of fish in the UK, published by the Environment Agency (EA), has
revealed that oestrogenic steroids in sewage effluent are more potent in this respect
than had been previously thought. As result of this five-year investigation of 10 river
catchments in England and Wales which receive sewage treatment effluent, it has
become clear that the reproductive health of male fish is being adversely affected.
With nearly half of all those studied either having eggs in their testes or developed
female reproductive ducts, 25% producing damaged sperm, and 10% being sterile,
the future sustainability of fish populations in a number of rivers in England and
Wales could be at risk.
Many oestrogens, both natural and manufactured, have been implicated, but the
synthetic steroid 17 ethinyloestradiol, which is present in the urine of women

using the contraceptive pill, is of particular concern, producing effects in fish at
concentrations below 1

α

g/l.
While the resulting level of concern over this 'feminisation' is likely to drive the
development of a risk management strategy for oestrogens in sewage effluent, which
may ultimately necessitate changes in treatment practice or technology, it is clear
that not all fish populations are exposed to the same degree and so careful targeting
of any intended action will be essential.
The research, which was undertaken by scientists from Brunel and Exeter Uni-
versites, and funded by the EA, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs (DEFRA) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), focused on
wild populations of roach (Rutilusrutilus) and gudgeon (Gobiogobio). It specifically
examined the causes and consequences of feminisation in these species and, while
it is expected that the situation is similar for other fish species, it was not designed to
draw conclusions regarding likely human health effects. In the UK, around a third of

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