MIKULSKI, CARDIN APPLAUD FEDERAL GRANT TO UMD TO STUDY THE CAUSE OF INTERSEX FISH IN CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED

Researchers hope to close critical knowledge gap on effect of contraceptive and hormone replacement drugs once they enter the nation’s waters

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Barbara A. Mikulski and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) today welcomed news of a $238,055 grant from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to the University of Maryland (UMD) for a study designed to deepen our understanding of the factors behind the intersex fish that have been documented throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the safety of America’s drinking water supplies. The UMD researchers will explore the source and effects of gestagens – natural and synthetic contraceptive and hormone replacement pharmaceuticals – on aquatic organisms after they enter the Chesapeake Bay watershed through wastewater treatment plant effluent and agricultural runoff.

“The health and future of the Chesapeake Bay plays an integral role in the health and economic well-being of Marylanders,” said Senator Mikulski, Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which funds USGS. “Through hands-on research at the University of Maryland, we will better understand how chemical contaminates and pharmaceuticals in our water are impacting Maryland’s fish population. These fish serve as a broader indicator for all of us in the bay watershed. I applaud the University of Maryland for their hands-on research that will help us better protect our water.”

“To adequately protect our drinking water supplies and overall public health, we must understand the cause of the abnormal fish we are seeing locally,”said U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Water and Wildlife Subcommittee. “Fish, like the fathead minnow that will be closely examined by University of Maryland researchers in this first-of-its-kind study, are sensitive indicators of the overall health of our waters. Half a century after the Water Resources Research grants were first established, this program continues to be relevant to our economy and our environment, as well as the health and safety of our communities.”

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