D.C. Wussitude Explained -- Michael

Do you have the general impression that people living in and around D.C. tend to be wussier than folks elsewhere?

Yeah, me to, and I actually lived there briefly.

Take a typical D.C. resident like Dave @ Garfield Ridge for example. I rest my case.

I always thought that it was the obsession with politics that caused this general D.C. wussiness. But it seems I was wrong.

It's the water.

McLEAN, Va. - Some species of male fish in the Potomac River and its tributaries are developing female sexual traits at a frequency higher than scientists have seen before, raising concerns about pollutants in a waterway that provides drinking water for millions of people.

The so-called "intersex fish," which produce immature eggs in their testes, were discovered in the Potomac rivershed in 2003 and have also been found in other parts of the country.

But the frequency that the U.S. Geological Surveys found last year is much higher than what has been found elsewhere, said fish pathologist Vicki Blazer.

In some Potomac tributaries, nearly all of the male smallmouth bass caught in last year's survey were the abnormal fish. In the Potomac itself, seven of 13 largemouth bass exhibited female characteristics, including three that were producing eggs.

Now you can see why dealing with the federal government involves so many bitchy people.

The water authority, which draws from the Potomac and Occoquan rivers to provide service to roughly 1.5 million people, is working with USGS and other agencies to research and develop ways to improve water treatment to eliminate potentially harmful compounds.

The water treatments used by Fairfax Water, including ozone and activated charcoal, have been shown to reduce levels of estrogenic compounds, she said.

Of course, it will ultimately be up to Karl Rove to decide who gets water with the "estrogenic compounds" filtered out.

posted by Ace at 07:39 PM

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