In Alberta rivers in Calgary there have been some strange, “fishy” happenings going on. Researchers believe that fish are actually going through sex changes due to the chemicals that are being found in the water.

Biological Sciences Professor of the University of Calgary Hamid Habibi said that a recent study of the Oldman Rivers and the Red Deer River showed an astounding 90% of the minnows found were female. This is highly abnormal and he goes on to say that many of the chemicals found in the water should not be there and have estrogen-like hormones in them which is causing the changes.

Causing concern to researchers, he said the first thought was “Are the chemicals actually turning the males into females?”.

One of the leading causes of concerns was the finding of the presence of Bisphenol A which is a compound with an estrogen-like content. This specific compound was recently banned in some products in Canada but that it may be reaching the water via local landfills.

Another cause of the chemicals reaching the water could be the fact that the chemicals are coming from local farms as well as sewage treatment plants. Farming areas are also said to be responsible due to the heavy amounts of pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides.

Lee Jackson another professor of biological sciences says the recent findings are causing great concerns for the fish populations.

Going on to say that the contaminants found are in high enough concentration to cause that type of changes in the fish must have been there for a long period of time. Many of the male fish that were studied have actually developed eggs in their testes and are not able to reproduce.

Researchers also are concerned over what the impact can be on humans in the area. Exposure to these types of chemicals can cause major health problems such as Type 2 Diabetes and hormone dependant cancers.