Endocrine Disruptors: the Regulatory Future for Wastewater

Found in pharmaceuticals, personal care products, industrial byproducts, plastics, and pesticides, endocrine disruptors (or endocrine disrupting compounds, EDCs) are used in every aspect of society and have become common in the environment. Recent studies have confirmed that wastewater contains sufficient levels of endocrine disruptors to potentially cause hormonal changes in aquatic life, and growing public concern over such chemicals has captured the attention of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and news media worldwide. As wastewater treatment plants have been identified as a source of EDCs to the environment, treatment plant managers must be educated on the regulatory future for wastewater.