Due to the shear number of different chemicals in any given amount of water, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause for environmental changes. However, there are still noticeable effects to aquatic life that can be contributed to this pollution, and there is plentiful speculation on how it could possibly affect humans.
Changes in Aquatic Life The pharmaceutical in the water may be in small concentrations, but constant exposure over an extended period of time can lead to serious changes. Fish and other aquatic life literally live in the polluted water, so they are going to be the first to show any signs of being affected, and the signs are there. In the Potomac River, there are findings of male fish becoming intersex due to pharmaceutical compounds in the river.(“Impacts of”, 2016, para. 4) Fish changing sex can lead to decreased ability to breed, which will shrink their population and affect other species that eat fish. There are other effects also causing concern. “Previous research has linked other pharmaceutical drugs in fish to slower reaction times to predators, altered eating habits and anxiety.” (Bienkowski, 2011, para.10) Again, these changes could seriously affect the population and health of fish, which will inevitably affect other