First Phase of an Endocrine Research Programme for South African Water Systems

This project was aimed to develop an integrated research programme for Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals(EDCs) for South African water systems. Although some research was conducted in South Africa, it was done at selected research facilities and was uncoordinated and fractionated. It was deemed in national interest to coordinate these efforts in an integrated research program in order to optimize the limited resources and maximize the information gathered in the integrated programme. This would lead to better knowledge and understanding of the status of contamination in the country and would lead to informed decisions by the governing bodies to manage the possible contamination. No information was available on the occurrence, frequency and magnitude of exposure to EDCs or the effect of EDCs on the human population and wildlife of the country. A research programme has been developed and a surveillance study done to determine the capability of the laboratories identified to participate in the programme and to determine the occurance of EDCs in selected water resources sites. EDC activity was detected at all sites and chemical analysis confirmed the presence of EDCs. In related studies EDC effects have been noticed in animals (Fish, birds and Eland). The need for an extended research programme at the WRC on EDCs was confirmed and recommendations were made for the future phases of the EDC research programme