Flushed Medications Causing Fish Headaches For years consumers have been told to avoid accidental poisonings by flushing medications that were no longer needed.  Yet sewage treatment plants and septic systems are not equipped to handle these widely-varied substances, and it seems the fish aren't doing so well on this prescription.   Male English sole in Seattle's Elliott Bay now carry a protein usually found only in female fish with developing eggs.  In the Potomac River, male bass and sunfish have turned up with immature eggs in their testes.  In Nevada's Lake Mead, male carp that live near a pipe spilling treated Las Vegas waste water have depressed levels of male sex hormones and smaller-than-normal testes.  In California, “feminized” male fish have turned up in the Pacific Ocean.  According to the US Fish & Wildlife studies, some chemicals cause fish to simultaneously express intersex (both male and female) characteristics, while another chemical can cause a female mussel to prematurely release its larvae.   Although scientists are increasingly aware of the impact of industrial waste and agricultural chemicals on human health, identifying which pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are in water sources and the impact on humans is a new field of research.  Practical laboratory tests are not even developed because PPCPs are such a diverse group of chemicals. A 2002 study by the U.S. Geological Survey of 139 streams in 30 states found PPCPs in 80 percent, with the most common substances being steroids and nonprescription drugs, along with antibiotics, medications, detergents, fire retardants, pesticides, and hormones.   Stonington residents and businesses can reduce levels of PPCPs going into our harbors by not flushing any medicines, trash, chemicals, condoms, or substances sewage treatment plants cannot process.  Instead, dump old medications into kitty litter or coffee grounds, and put in Stonington yellow garbage bags, which are taken for incineration. Remove and destroy all identifying personal information on the prescription label of containers before recycling. Although communities that do not incinerate trash can develop drug turn-in programs, because of the legal complexity surrounding those classed as controlled substances, incineration is the best solution where available. ##### 11/26/07