Endocrine-disrupting chemicals in a source water

As a result of new and more sensitive methods for detecting chemicals and the development of scientific methods that better determine their biological effects, unregulated contaminants that were previously undetected by water professionals have become of interest to the public and the press. A source water issue that has taken a high profile in Las Vegas, Nev., relates to chemicals with the potential to act as endocrine disruptors. Las Vegas is one of the first large urbanized areas in the United States where studies have been conducted to determine the presence of these chemicals in the drinking water supply. This article discusses the potential health effects, detection methods, and regulatory considerations of these chemicals.