Endocrine-disrupting chemicals in a source water

As a result of new and more sensitive methods for detecting chemicals and t he 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 sourc e water issue that has taken a high profile in Las Vegas, Nev., relates to chemicals with the potential to act as endocrine disrupters. Las Vegas is o ne of the first large urbanized areas in the United States where studies ha ve been conducted to determine the presence of these chemicals in the drink ing water supply. This article discusses the potential health effects, dete ction methods, and regulatory considerations of these chemicals.