Monday, January 23, 2006
If your suntan oil can change the sex of fish, what can do it to you?
The stuff is not only on our skin: it's in our tap water and lunches too
Spare a thought for the male hornyhead turbot. For despite its name, it is changing gender. And the sunscreens that symbolise bronzed sex appeal may be partly to blame.Full Article by By Geoffrey Lean
Scientists have found that male hornyhead turbot and English sole, feeding near sewage outfalls on the Californian coast, are being feminised - and a chemical found in sunscreens is the likely culprit.
Meanwhile, Swiss researchers have found other suspected gender-bender chemicals from sun creams and oils building up in fish in their rivers.
