Quote:
Originally Posted by KC Fish
I think you're a little confused bud. Alligators aren't getting messed up by steroids. There is some indication that other pollutants are affecting the internal sexual steroid production of male alligators. It's not causing females to grow larger, it's reducing the growth of males in some certain ways. Basically, they've found a lower plasma sex steroid level (that's naturally occurring steroids produced by the alligator's body) in males, and smaller alligator dicks from the ones in known contaminated lakes. And the contaminants are not steroids leaked in the water. They're organochlorine contaminants. Usually DDT pesticides, or some variant. The contaminants block the production of the naturally produced steroids in the alligator's body, which controls dick size.
It's not at all from steroids in our food. I'm afraid that has nothing at all to do with the situation. The only thing to get worked up about is the overuse of DDT and other organochlorines in the environment.
http://www.researchgate.net/publicat...n_Florida_(USA) |
Interesting read.... When I first started following this project a few years ago, they initially thought the water was being contaminted from stormwater runoff that came from poultry farms which is probably right. I think I got confused about DDT. I was thinking it was a steroid but in reality it's an insecticide commonly used around poultry farms. The DDT has been found in eggs. Other findings do include similar isssues which are happening to humans. This article talks about the female gators growing faster etc.
http://news.ufl.edu/2012/07/19/alligator/
I'll try and find the original article when I get time. It's scary stuff.