Hormonal Imitators:
   
   Dr. Karen Kidd, of the ELA staff, is leading a research project to
   investigate the effects of low concentrations of a synthetic estrogen
   (used in birth control pills) on reproduction of fish and other
   organisms in a small lake. This substance is released into water
   bodies via domestic sewage, and its effects on aquatic organisms are
   not well known. We anticipate that it may affect the reproductive
   systems of both male and female fishes, leading to possible
   reproductive failure in fish populations. Pilot studies in small
   enclosures were carried out in ELA Lake 260 during 1999, with the
   whole-lake experiment scheduled to begin in 2000. Researchers from the
   Universities of Guelph, Saskatchewan, and Kansas are participating.
   Substantial funding for the project is being provided by a Canada
   Special Toxics Fund and by the U.S. Chemical Manufacturers
   Association. The United States Environmental Protection Agency is also
   expected to contribute support.
   
   This synthetic estrogen is only one of a number of human-produced
   chemicals that may disrupt the normal functioning of natural hormones
   in fishes, mammals and other life forms. We need to know more about
   the long-term effects of these insidious substances on fish and other
   aquatic organisms.
   
   For more information about this experiment, contact [9] Dr. Karen
   Kidd.