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The problem is effectively removing ethinyl estradiol can be quitecostly. Governmental estimates put the cost of upgrading about1,360 wastewater treatment plants across England and Wales so theycan comply with a proposed limit at between $41 billion and $47billion (€32 billion and €37 billion), according toRichard Owen, a professor at the University of Exeter in the UnitedKingdom. "The big question is, 'Are we willing to pay this as asociety?'" Owen told LiveScience. "Or, alternatively,'would we prefer to live with the environmental impact ?'" In their Nature commentary, Owen and Susan Jobling, anecotoxicologist at the University of Brunel, write that more publicdebate is need on the proposed regulation. [ 7 Surprising Facts About the Pill ] They intended to draw attention to this environmental dilemma, notto suggest that women should not have access to birth control, Owentold LiveScience. In the environment EE2, a synthetic hormone, is only one of a cocktail of natural andsynthetic hormones that humans excrete into wastewater, includingother estrogens. EE2 has a potent biological effect at low levels. "Animals are exquisitely sensitive to it," Jobling toldLiveScience. The body of a fish or a frog reacts to EE2 as if it were a naturalestrogen, "demasculinizing" male animals and creating a condition called intersex that interferes with an animal's ability to reproduce, Joblingsaid. Intersex males often produce eggs in their testes. It's not yet clear if levels of EE2 found in waterways affectmammals' reproductive cycle, she said. The cleanup Charcoal-based filtering is the most effective method for removingchemicals such as EE2 from wastewater. Other methods may also beeffective, but they, too, would require some financial investment,Jobling told LiveScience. "It will cost quite a lot of money to upgrade to meetenvironmental quality standards, (but) to my mind that is not areason not do it," Jobling said. "We are understandablyfocused on the economic crisis at the moment, and just as importantis the environmental crisis." Unless this issue is put on the policy agenda, society willcontinue undermining ecological systems, she said. On Nov. 6, a European Parliament legislative committee is scheduledto decide whether the issue should continue to the full Parliamentin January. "This regulation will set a global precedent for regulating pharmaceuticals in the environment . It also presents society with a difficult dilemma, of which thepublic remains mostly unaware," Owen and Jobling write. Editor's Note: This story was updated at 4:06 pm Eastern US time toclarify a statement about the uncertainty around the effects ofethinyl estradiol pollution in water on mammals. It's not yet clearat what levels it interferes with mammals' reproduction. You can follow LiveScience senior writer Wynne Parry on Twitter @Wynne_Parry . Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoverieson Twitter @livescience and on Facebook . I am an expert from stabilizerlinkbar.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Stabilizer Link Bar Manufacturer , Automobile Shock Absorbers, Automobile Shock Absorbers,and more.
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