Safe and clean drinking water is a basic right to all South Africans, however there was a new threat going undetected until recently. Several medical and agricultural departments at the University of Pretoria have partnered with Rand Water to address endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

What are endocrine-disrupting chemicals?

During a recent study, it was discovered that endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have a broad range of effects on humans and animals. EDCs have also been directly linked to issues such as reproductive disorders, thyroid dysfunction, neurological diseases, immune and metabolic disorders etc.

“Biological and chemical contaminants pose a massive health hazard,” research lead Professor Fanus Venter said.

What the Constitution says

While the Constitution states that access to clean, disease-free drinking water is a fundamental human right, the legislation does not require a screening of endocrine disruptive chemicals effects in food, cosmetics, household, industrial and agricultural products and pharmaceuticals. He added that these chemicals, along with those from the waste, industry and agricultural sectors, end up in drinking water.

While regular testing for harmful biological and chemical substances should be carried out by all water utilities in SA, due to difficulties with finance and governance, it does not always happen, Venter said.

Action plan

Different aspects indicating water quality will be tested by three separate departments at the university. This process will aid Rand Water in looking beyond the legal requirements of water quality.

Research teams will be tasked with:

• Providing new data
• Creating new testing methods
• Designing early, potential health warning systems
• Testing bodies of water for viruses such as hepatitis A, norovirus and rotavirus
• Understanding the bacterial ecosystem in the water between Vereeniging and Secunda.
• Looking at the presence and effects of EDCs in the environment
• Conducting bioassays (measuring the potency of a chemical on living cells) for estrogenic, thyroid and androgenic activity.

Rand Water has also agreed to do voluntary testing on a number of other potential hazards. The research will be carried out over a three month period.

Research reveals

Professor Maureen Taylor says their research has uncovered sapoviruses in 80% of wastewater treatment plants and several new strains of hepatitis A and norovirus in untreated surface water.

Professor Riana Bornman and her team discovered a significant number of EDCs and endocrine-disrupting metals in Gauteng rivers and other untreated water sources.

“Our research suggests that if left untreated, domestic or agricultural use of this water could have both toxic and carcinogenic effects as well as causing endocrine disruption,” Professor Bornman said. “We found that levels were 30 to 450 times higher than acceptable lifetime exposure levels.

More than 3 000 bacterial species were found in the water at Zuikerbosch near Vereeniging which and are known to contain potential opportunistic pathogens. Professor Venter said that while these will not cause disease, they “could be problematic for immune-compromised individuals, such as the young, elderly, and those with AIDS or other immune deficiencies.”

Although most organisms found in drinking water are harmless, this new project will allow water utilities to understand the ecology within the water system, enabling them to develop better management and control strategies should harmful pathogens appear.